The New Guy
by trorychic
Summary: REWRITTEN..i rewrote some parts of the story, hopefully it is better...Rory meets a new guy through her brotherinlaw, see their relationship unwind.
1. Chapter 1

The New Guy  
By: Abby

Summary: I'm the biggest trory ever, but I am tired of the same old stories of Rory picking between Tristan, jess, and/or Dean. It's getting old. So I am inventing my new guy and starting a life for her.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or any of the characters I use except for Jinx, Meg, Jack, Jinx's kids and Rory's 'new guy'. IN THIS FIC, LUKE AND LORELAI WERE MARRIED WHEN RORY WAS 4 AND HAD 3 CHILDREN

2012

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, just the girl I've been looking for." 26 year old Rory Gilmore turned to the voice she new so well.

"What's up, Tris?" She said to her brother-in-law, slowing down to let him catch up.

"I've got a bone to pick with you." The tall and handsome Tristan Dugray wrapped an arm around Rory's slender shoulders and leaned on her a little as they walked towards the diner.

"And what's that?"

"I want to know how a gorgeous, successful, charming girl like you has stayed single so long."

"It's all part of the enigma I call me." She said sweetly, ending their banter. With a smile, she headed into Luke's.

Tristan followed her and the bell jingled as they entered the diner. Rory led the way to the table where Lorelai was sitting with her two other daughters, one of which was Tristan's wife, 22 year old Genevieve Emily Danes Dugray, more commonly known as Jinx. The other was 18 year old Meghan Gilmore Danes.

"Morning Mom, Jinx, Meg. Where's Jack, I'm hungry." Rory said, sitting down between her mother and Jinx while Tristan claimed the place between Jinx and Meghan.

"In the back with Luke." Lorelai said, speaking of her youngest child, 16 year old John Lucas Danes.

"Oh, then I guess he can make me some pancakes, since he's already there and all, right by the stove-" Rory was cut off by her brother.

"You can stop the rant, Ror, I'll make you pancakes." Tall, Luke-like Jack emerged from the kitchen carrying three plates. He set them in front of Lorelai, Jinx, and Meg. "What can I get you Tristan?" He said whipping out his order pad.

Rory leaned over to the bacon on Lorelai's plate but Lorelai slapped her hands away. "I'll have what Mom has, plus some pancakes."

"And I'll have French toast and scrambled eggs. And coffee."

"Me too." 4 other voices chimed in.

"Back in a flash." Jack said, going into the kitchen again.

Rory sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. "I smell sweat."

Tristan laughed and Jinx joined him. "That would be me." She said, gesturing to her white racer back jogging top and pink running shorts. "I was out running this morning."

"Well you need a shower. And don't you know that exercise is against the Gilmore code?"

"I like to stay in shape." Jinx defended. "I enjoy running."

Lorelai let out an exaggerated gasp and Rory said, "Jinx, you've been blessed with good DNA. Don't waste it!"

"Ok new topic." Jinx said.

"I have something I need to talk about." Lorelai said, attempting to be very serious. "Tomorrow is Rory's 27th birthday and I would just like to let her know that tomorrow night, Friday October 8, 2012, it was our plan to have a humongous Stars Hollow Birthday Bash, but yet again your grandmother is insisting we go to her house for a stuffy socialite party. Meaning, we will have one here on Saturday."

"You don't have to give me two parties, Mom." Rory said to her mother.

"Rory, have we not been giving you two parties since you were 16?"

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts...it's fine, Rory. Besides, the Hartford party doesn't really count. And we're going out to dinner tonight for your birthday, too." Lorelai said.

"Well, ok. 3 parties. I shouldn't be complaining."

"Hey, this is the perfect opportunity for me to set Rory up with one of my friends...what do you think, Ror?" Tristan said cleverly.

"Tristan." Rory said in a warning tone.

"Oh c'mon, Rory, it won't hurt anything. But: mumble mumble mumble:" Jinx spoke up.

"Jinx, what did you say? And you never side with me since you married him. What happened to sisterly bonds?" Rory said.

The couple smiled happily at each other.

"Jinx, tell me." Silence. "Genevieve." That got to Jinx. She couldn't stand her name.

"I said it wouldn't hurt anything but you probably wouldn't want one of Tristan's friends anyway." She said sweetly.

"Jinx!" Tristan gasped.

Lorelai almost fell over laughing at the completely shocked look on Tristan's face, and Meg and Rory joined her; soon everyone in the diner was laughing at them.

"Lorelai." Lorelai dragged herself into a sitting position and let a few giggles escape as Luke gave her a look. She heaved, out of breath, and said to Luke, "Sorry sorry. I know how you feel about disturbing the peace in the diner."

"Well, I've got to run." Tristan said, rising. "Another day at the salt mines."

"Yes, I think your plush office in the largest building in Hartford with a TV and several couches and an extremely soft desk chair is just like a salt mine." Meg spoke up sarcastically.

"Shhh..." He said, clapping a hand over her mouth. She wriggled to get out of his grasp and her muffled giggles could be heard from behind his hand.

He laughed and Jinx stood up next to him. "I'm going to go too. See you later. Call me about party plans, ok Mom?"

"Sure, kid. Bye Jinx, bye Tristan." Lorelai said.

"Bye Mom. Bye, Megs, Rory."

"Bye Jinx."

Jinx and Tristan left the diner hand in hand, fingers entwined, and started walking towards their apartment.

"T.?"

"Yeah, Jinx?" He said, pulling her across the street.

"Tristan, I need to tell you something." She said. She pulled him down on a park bench and ran a hand over her small brown ponytail. Hair fell down on her neck because her hair was so short.

"What is it, baby?" He asked, concerned by his wife's tone.

"Oh, it's good Tris. Don't worry." She said with a small smile.

"It's hard not to worry with you sounding so serious." He said, grasping her hand tightly.

"Tris, it's good, really. I..."

"Just tell me, Jinx."

"Well it's kind of a two parter. First, Tristan, I'm pregnant." Jinx said with a smile.

His mouth dropped. About two feet. His jaw scraped the ground. Jinx was tempted to close his mouth, but he beat her to it.

"J...J...oh my god, Jinx, you're pregnant!" He felt like shouting it from the roof tops, but he was silenced by a finger pressed to his lips.

"Tristan, you know how this town is...I haven't told Mom or Dad or Rory or Meg or Jack yet, and I want them to be the first to know and hear it from me that... I'm pregnant." She said.

He smiled. Then he wrapped her in his arms and swung her around. She laughed loudly and he put her on the ground and whispered to her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said.

They continued their walk to their apartment and as they walked away, Miss Patty stepped out from behind a tree with her cell phone to her ear. "Babette? You'll never guess what I just heard..."

Jinx wrapped her arm around Tristan's waist and he draped his over her shoulders and pulled her close. Then he stopped suddenly.

"Wait a minute...you said there were two things."

Jinx smiled a humongous smile. "Tristan, we're going to be very tired. We're having quintuplets."

Tristan had a shocked happy smile on his face and basically threw her in the air in delight. "How? Oh my god that's amazing! But how?"

Jinx laughed loudly. "I don't know. Listen, we have to go tell my parents and my sisters and brother." She said, once back on the ground.

"Now? Baby, I can't. I have to go to work, I have a meeting."

"Ok." Jinx said. "We'll tell them tonight or tomorrow."

"Yeah." He said. Another smile broke out on his face and the happy couple continued to walk.

REVIEWS PLEASEEEEE!


	2. Chapter 2

PART 2

"I'll go get Daddy." Jinx said, hopping out of Lorelai's blue Explorer when it pulled up in front of Doose's so they could get Lorelai some candy, a sudden craving. The family was headed to dinner at a restaurant for Rory's birthday.

"I'll go with you." Rory said, sliding out of the front seat. Both girls straightened their nice dresses.

The sisters walked towards the diner and were almost to the door when Taylor stepped out from the alley. Both girls stopped suddenly and Jinx let out a yelp.

"Holy mother...Taylor, what are you doing?" Rory asked, startled.

"Oh nothing, just going for an evening stroll. Happy Early Birthday, Rory."

"Thanks Taylor." Rory said skeptically.

"You're welcome. So, how are you girls tonight?" Taylor said

"In a hurry. We are going to Hartford tonight and need to pick up Daddy, so we really should go." Jinx said. Rory sidestepped Taylor and pulled her sister along with her. Taylor followed them.

"You'll never guess what I heard today." They continued walking. "From a very credible source, I might add, I heard that you, Miss Jinx, are pregnant. I just wanted to check my facts."

Jinx cringed as Rory stopped dead in her tracks and then laughed. "Obviously your very credible source isn't that credible because my sister is NOT pregnant."

Taylor looked to Jinx. "You aren't?"

"Ummm...no."

"No you are or no you aren't?" Taylor pressed on.

"Jinx?" Rory questioned.

"I am. I'm pregnant. Your source was right, Taylor." Jinx said finally.

"Yes well Patty has never failed me before. I just wanted to express to you my congratulations, Jinx."

"Thanks Taylor." Jinx said sheepishly under the gaze of her sister.

"Where's Tristan? In the car? Oh I see him." Taylor said, looking over towards the Explorer. "I'm just going to go give him my congratulations."

"No!" Jinx screeched.

"No?" Taylor asked, confused.

"No...I'll tell him for you. We're really in a hurry Taylor, and you know how Mom is when she gets talking." Jinx said.

"Ok. Well have a nice night, ladies." Taylor took off towards Miss Patty's and Jinx turned to face her sister.

"Jinx...you're pregnant?" Rory asked.

"Yes."

"And you didn't tell me? Didn't tell the family?" Rory asked, sounding very hurt.

"I'm sorry, Rory. I was going to yesterday, but Tristan had to go to work and I wanted to tell you with him." Jinx said.

"Ok." They continued walking. "Congratulations, sis."

"Thanks."

"When are you going to tell Mom and Luke?"

"I don't know."

"You do realize this will be all over town by tomorrow morning."

"Oh no!"

The next day, Lorelai, Jinx, and Rory walked down the main street of Stars Hollow toward Doose's.

"So I was standing there and Luke said..." Lorelai was telling the girls a story when Rory subtly nudged Jinx. Patty and Babette were charging towards them from the direction of Doose's.

"Hey Mom...let's get the movie first." Jinx said, stopping on the sidewalk.

"Why?" Lorelai asked.

"Just so we can guarantee we get it--- don't want it swiped out from under us." Rory said sensibly.

"Nobody ever rents Willy Wonka." Lorelai said.

"That's not true." Rory said.

"Yes it is. Every time we go, Kirk informs us that we are the only ones to ever get it." Lorelai said.

"Kirk can't be there every second. He works in every business in town. And what if today somebody decides 'I want to see Willy Wonka.' Let's go to the video store." Jinx put in, putting a hand on Lorelai's arm and leading her the other way on the sidewalk.

"It's just safer." Rory said, taking Lorelai's other arm.

"Fine fine!" Lorelai said, throwing up her hands in defeat and turning around to lead the way to the Stars Hollow Video Store. "I don't know why we didn't buy it a long time ago."

Rory and Jinx smiled mischievously behind their mother's back.

"It's party time!" Jinx called into the Gilmore House that evening. Tristan laughed and so did Jack as he met them in the foyer.

"Hey, Jacks." Jinx said, hugging her younger brother.

"Hey Jinx. You're in a good mood."

"Yes...yes I am. Where is everyone?" Jinx asked, walking into the kitchen with the boys following her. She poured herself a small cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"Rory called a few minutes ago and said she'd be over soon and Meg and Mom are in their rooms getting ready. Dad is at the diner." Jack said.

"You look spiffy, bro." Jinx said, smiling at her teenage brother. He wore ironed khaki pants and a royal blue button down shirt, which emphasized his bright blue eyes, a trait every member of the family shared. He had on a yellow tie and a dark blue jacket. His short dark hair still looked wet from a shower.

"Thanks, sis. You two don't look so bad yourselves." He replied. Tristan wore a black suit and a mint green silk shirt with a forest green tie. Jinx sported the black Diane Von Furstenberg Kimono-Style Wrap Dress and stiletto Nine West heels. Silver jewelry accented the outfit and she wore a black Michael Kors Rain Coat.

"Wow, looking nice guys." Lorelai said, coming into the kitchen while she hooked a bracelet onto her wrist. Lorelai wore a Diane Von Furstenberg "Dawnam" V-neck Dress and black stilettos. A diamond ring glittered on her finger, and diamond earrings against her cheeks.

"Yeah, Jinx, I love that dress! I wish I had a loaded husband to spend money on me." Meg said, coming into the kitchen behind Lorelai.

"Nice try little sister. Don't think I can't tell you're wearing BCBG." Jinx said, admiring Meg's BCBG strapless pleated contrast dress and heels to match.

"Well, my bank account is empty."

"So are we all here?" Lorelai asked, looking around at her well dressed family.

"Just waiting for Rory. Dad asked us to pick him up at the diner." Jack said. Just then, the front door opened.

"Hello?" Rory called into the house. She stepped inside and everyone met her in the foyer.

"Hey, you all look great!" Rory said with a big smile.

"So do you, Rory. Happy Birthday!" Meg said. Rory had on the Vera Wang Maids Short Strapless Satin Dress in fog and peep-toe stilettos in the same color.

"Let's get this show on the road. I want this night to end as quickly as possible." Lorelai said, grabbing a jacket off the rack. She picked up her keys and purse and led the way to the car.

"Very positive attitude, Lor." Tristan commented.

A grunt was the only reply.

REVIEWS PLEASEEEE


	3. Chapter 3

PART 3

"Lorelai." Emily said, opening the door.

"Hi, Mom." Lorelai, Luke, and their children stepped into the house. Servants were running around doing last minute preparations.

"Well, don't you all look lovely." Emily said, sizing up the family.

"Thanks, Grandma. You look great too." Rory said, giving her grandmother a hug.

"Happy Birthday, dear." Emily said to Rory.

"Thank you, Grandma." Rory said to her grandmother.

"Richard! They're here!" Richard Gilmore appeared in the doorway.

"Well hello everyone. Aren't you looking dashing tonight."

"Hi Grandpa." 4 voices came back at him.

Just then the doorbell rang. Rory ran to open it and was shocked to find Paris and Jess.

"Jess? Paris! I didn't know you guys were going to be here!" Rory said, hugging her long time friends.

"It's great to see you, Rory. Happy Birthday." Paris said. Rory could see that over the years, Paris had changed. She was no longer so uptight but much more laid back. She wore a pale pink calf length silk skirt and a simple white sleeveless shirt and a black leather jacket. Her shoulder length hair fell in soft layers. Jess looked very put together in a nicely fitted navy blue suit and a light blue silk shirt and a navy blue tie.

"How are you guys? Still together, I see." Rory asked, leading them into the house.

"Yeah, it's about 2 years now." Paris said with a smile.

"That's great."

"How 'bout you, Rory? Any men in your life?" Jess asked.

"No...although Tristan is trying to set me up." Rory said with a laugh.

"I still can't believe that the jerk from Chilton days became your best friend and married my little cousin." Jess said with a laugh.

"It will always boggle my mind." Rory said with a smile. "They met when I came home on weekends from Yale and brought Tris with me, although Jinxie was only 15 then. I brought him home on holidays and weekends because his parents were always off on business. They dated after Jinx graduated from Chilton and as she went through Yale. They were together 2 years when they got married." Rory said.

"Jess, Paris!" Lorelai interrupted the conversation. A round of hugs went around because Paris was a close family friend and Jess was, of course, family.

Jess threw an arm around Jinx and said, "Hey, Jinxie. How's married life?"

"Fantastic. You should really try it, Jessie." Jinx and Jess adored each other, and she was the only one who got away with calling him Jessie.

"That's awesome. I can't wait for the next big event." He said.

Lorelai spoke up. "The next big event? Are you planning something big, Jess?"

"No...the baby." Jess said.

"Baby? Paris, you're pregnant!" Lorelai gasped.

"NO!" Paris cried out. All eyes turned to Jess.

"Jessie, you got some splainin' to do!" Lorelai said in a Ricky Ricardo impersonation.

He glanced around questioningly. "I stopped in Stars Hollow on the way here and talked to Kirk, Taylor, Patty, Al, and Babette, against my will of course. They all told me Jinx was pregnant. I thought it was weird because I thought I would've heard it from Luke, but they are all credible sources."

"HA!" Lorelai burst out. Everyone else remained eerily silent. "Well, I always thought Taylor was on crack, but Al surprises me."

Emily spoke up. "Jinx, can you explain this?"

Jinx glanced to Tristan. "I...I'm pregnant."

Gasps were heard, Luke gripped his forehead, and Rory looked sympathetically at her sister.

"Jinx. Pregnant? And you didn't tell us?" Lorelai asked, sounding injured.

"I meant to Mom, but I just haven't had the time and I wanted to do it with Tristan and it never worked out. I was going to tell you about the babies." Jinx said.

"How does Miss Patty know?" Meg asked.

"She must have heard Tris and me talking about it." Jinx said.

"Babies?" Rory asked, confused.

Jinx stomped her foot in frustration, and Tristan stepped up and put her arm around her. "We're having quintuplets."

"Oh my god!" Rory squealed.

Lorelai just nodded her head.

"Congrats, Jinxie." Luke said, breaking the ice. He stepped forward and wrapped his little girl in his arms.

"Thanks, Daddy." Jinx said. One by one, everyone stepped forward and hugged Jinx and then shook Tristan's hand. Sometime during all of this, Lorelai escaped.

"Don't worry, Jinx, she'll be fine." Rory whispered to Jinx when she hugged her.

Jess turned to Tristan. "So, Tristan Dugrey, boasting father."

"Yes...and Jess Mariano, delinquent cousin." Tristan said, shaking his hand.

"Tristan." Jinx grabbed his arm.

"Eh, I'm past that stage." Jess said with a smile.

"Or at least you like to think so." Paris said, moving to his side. He put an arm around her shoulders and she put her arm around his waist.

"Mr. Dugray?" The maid, Marta, was being followed by a slim, very tall man with black hair and emerald green eyes. He looked to be about 30 and was wearing a sharp black suit.

"Ah, Steven! Glad you could make it. Thank you, Marta." Tristan said. He shook hands with the young guy and pulled him toward the group.

"Everyone, this is my best friend Steven Cashen. He's a business associate from way back. We actually roomed together at Yale and then for a few years after in Hartford. He was my best man, but the wedding weekend was very busy so I'm not even sure you met him. Steve lives here in Hartford, but he travels often. I thought he would enjoy a little party while he was in town. Steven, you know Jinx."

"Yes, hi Jinx. Good to see you again, congratulations on the babies." He said, kissing her cheek

"You know about the babies?" Jinx whispered sheepishly.

"Yeah, Tristan told me. Congratulations."

"Thanks Steven. It's nice to see you again, too."

"This is Jinx's sister, Meghan, her brother, Jack, and my father-in-law Luke Danes. This is Luke's nephew, Jess Mariano, and his girlfriend and a friend of the family, Paris Gellar. This is Richard and Emily Gilmore, our hosts and Jinx's grandparents. And finally, last but not least," Steven shook hands with each person as Tristan introduced him or her, "my other sister-in-law, the birthday girl, Miss Lorelai Gilmore."

Rory laughed and shook her head. She stuck out her hand saying, "Rory. Please call me Rory. It's nice to see you again, Steven."

"Nice to see you too." He said, shaking with her.

"You two know each other?" Luke asked.

"Well Tristan was one of my best friends in college, so I met Steven a couple of times." Paris, Tristan, and Steven began to laugh and Rory started to turn red. She smiled and winked at them, though.

"Rory?" Jinx asked, amused.

"Paris and I ended up in Steven and Tristan's room a little...err...intoxicated more than once. Completely innocent, though. We were on the 5th floor and they were on the 2nd." Rory said, causing more laughter from Paris, Tristan, and Steven and a little blushing from Paris.

"Rory, I can't believe you ever got drunk, with Paris, Tristan, and Steven none-the-less, and ended up sleeping on some guy's floor." Jinx said, rolling with laughter.

"It wasn't some guy!" Rory said, defending herself. The family just laughed more. "It was Tristan!"

Before this conversation could go any farther, Emily interrupted.

"Rory, I would like to get the annual picture. My photographer is here for your party and you are all looking very nice. It is a wonderful opportunity." Emily said.

"Sure, Grandma, that's fine." Rory said. "I'll go find Mom. Excuse us, Paris, Jess, Steven. We have to take a family shot every year on my birthday. A tradition started a long time ago."

Rory found her mother in the kitchen sucking down coffee and dragged her to the living room. The photographer fussed and fumed but finally set the family up in front of the mantel. Behind them on the wall was the portrait of Lorelai, Richard, and Emily. They took Tristan out of the picture, and took another few. The kids stood in age order, height order, a Luke and Lorelai picture, a Jinx and Tristan picture, and every possible combination of siblings, and finally Emily announced they were finished.

Everyone chatted for a while and soon more people began to show up and the group dispersed to mingle.

"Tris, buddy, could I talk to you?" Rory was overly cheery as she approached Tristan, Jinx, and Steven.

"Sure, Ror." He said, equally overly cheery.

Rory pulled Tristan into the library. "Tristan, you're trying to set me up!"

Tristan laughed. "Rory I am shocked that you think I would do something like that!"

"Triscuit."

"Alright, fine, I am. But at least give it a chance. He is successful, rich, and all around a very nice guy. I think if your sister wasn't already married she'd give you a run for your money." Tristan said.

"Tristan, I can find guys on my own!" Rory cried, extremely frustrated.

"I know, Rory. Just cut me some slack and go talk to the guy. He doesn't know I am doing this. I just asked if he wanted to come to the party. I know for a fact he is completely unattached and hasn't been attached for quite some time, though." Tristan gave her a pleading look.

"I can find my own guys." She muttered. Tristan put an arm around her.

"I know you can."

"It hasn't been that long since my last date. I just haven't found anyone I like." She muttered some more.

"I know."

"Fine, I'll talk to him. But I'm not making you any promises, Tristan. I am not going to make something work that shouldn't just for you. This is about me." Rory said.

"Thanks Ror." He said.

She turned and stalked out of the library. He followed and they arrived at Jinx and Steven around the same time.

"Sorry to steal Tristan. It just couldn't wait." Jinx smiled knowingly at her sister, but Steven just nodded good-naturedly.

"Steven, Tristan introduced you to my sister Rory, right?" Jinx asked.

"Actually, we've already met." Rory said.

"Yes, but we haven't had much chance to talk. Could I get you a drink, Rory?" Steven asked.

Rory smiled. "That would be great."

Steven led Rory into the next room where drinks were set out.

"White wine, please." Rory said. He poured her a glass and one for himself and they sat down on a sofa.

"So, tell me about yourself." Steven said, truly interested.

"Well, as you already knew, my name is Lorelai Gilmore, but my mom laid claim to Lorelai first, so I go by Rory."

"Your mom seems young." He said conversationally.

"She is. I am the oldest and I'm 27. Jinx is 22, my sister Meg will be 19 in December, and my brother Jack just turned 16. My mom turned 43 in March."

"43?"

"Yeah, do the math." Rory said, taking a sip of her drink.

"She had you at 16?" He asked.

"Yeah. My grandparents wanted her to marry my father, but if Mom is anything, she's independent. Stubborn might be a better word, actually." Rory laughed a little. "She moved to Stars Hollow, where we all still live, and raised me there. I guess you could say we grew up together. When I was 4, she married Luke and when I was 5, Jinx was born. Three years later Meg was born, and three years after that, Jack was born. By the time Mom got to her last child, most women her age were on their first." Rory said with a smile.

"Wow. That's a great story."

"Yeah. My mother is phenomenal. Luke is too. Neither had much money or college educations, but Luke converted his father's hardware store into a very successful diner and Mom worked her way up in the inn business. She started as a maid and now she has her own inn with her best friend." Rory stated proudly.

"That's incredible. You should write a book about what it was like growing up in your house. It would be an inspiration to young people who find themselves caught in the position your mother was 26 years ago." Steve said, leaning forward in his seat.

"Actually," Rory said confidently, "I am in the process of writing a book that is just that---growing up Lorelai. I am getting my siblings to each write a part. Then I'll just have to have someone publish it."

"You're a writer? I guess I forgot that about you since college."

"I was a journalism major at Yale. I worked at the Times for a few years before I moved back to Stars Hollow."

"The New York Times?" He asked, mouth open.

"Yes." She said with a smile. "I still write feature pieces for the Times and some other papers by correspondence, but my main job is editing the Stars Hollow News. A step down from the Times, I know, but I'm content with writing feature pieces right now. Now enough about me; tell me your story."

"Well, I am 28 years old. I was born and raised in Chicago where my dad is a doctor. As you know, I went to Yale. I have two sisters, Beth and Brooke and a brother, Joseph, who goes by Trip. Long story. Beth is 26 and engaged to a hometown guy. Trip is 20 and he is at Harvard. He wants to be a lawyer. Brooke is 15 and not too into school. She isn't enjoying the academic aspect of high school, although she loves socializing. Mom and Dad don't want to force her to go to college, but she won't go on her own." He said with a smile.

"Mom is determined that all of her kids go to college, and for the most part we don't mind. My sister Meg sounds a lot like your sister. Jinx, Jack, and I went to Chilton but Meg has never been into school, so she tried out Chilton, didn't like it, and decided to go to Stars Hollow High, our local high school. She is now reluctantly taking classes at Hartford community college." Rory said. "I did the whole college thing and I already went back for my masters. Jinx graduated last fall from Yale, which made everyone proud, and my brother is Ivy League bound."

"That's good. We can use more well-educated people in the world." He said. They smiled at each other and right then, a mutual bond was formed.

:Ring ring:

Meg was walking past the phone when it rang. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Is this the Gilmore residence?" A feminine voice asked.

"Yes it is." She said politely.

"I am looking for Steven Cashen. He is a friend of Tristan Dugray. I'm his sister."

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	4. Chapter 4

"His sister?" Meg asked.

"Yes. Beth Cashen. I'd show you id, but I can't over the phone." She said with a flute like laugh.

Meg laughed. "I'm not sure where he is, but if you can hold on, I can get him for you." Meg said.

"Thanks." She said.

Meg finally found Steven with Rory in the kitchen. Rory was sitting on the counter and he was leaning against it. They both had drinks and were talking like old friends.

"Steven, your sister is on the phone." Meg said when she found them.

"My sister?" He said.

"Yeah, Beth." Meg said, handing him the cordless phone.

"Beth?" Steve said, speaking into the phone. He listened intently for a minute. "Oh god." Steve put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "Alright, when's the next flight? 1 am? Ok I'll be on it. Thanks, Bethie. Is Trip coming home? Alright. Love you, bye." He glanced at the clock, which read 8 pm.

"Could you go find Tristan for me?" Steven said, turning to Meghan.

Meg nodded in consent and ran off.

Steven turned to Rory. "My father is very sick. They don't think he has much time left. I need to go to Chicago. It was great to meet you again, Rory. Honestly. And I would like to see you again. I hate to run out like this, but things don't sound good at home."

"I understand completely. But Steven..."

"What?"

"Well I really had a good time with you tonight. Do you have any idea when you might be back in town?" She asked.

"No..." He said. Rory looked at her feet and Steven looked lost in thought. "Well..."

"Well what?" Rory asked.

"You could come with me." Steven said.

"Come with you? Steven--" Rory sputtered.

"Think about it. I don't want to leave you and you don't want to leave me. I could use all the support I can get with my dad being sick, and it won't be a very long trip so it won't send your schedule all screwy. What do you say?" Steven asked.

"I don't know...Steven we just met! Well for the second time but still." Rory said.

"I feel like I've known you forever." He said.

"Very creative. How long did it take you to come up with that?" Rory asked with a smile.

"I'm offended."

"Don't be."

"So will you?" He asked.

She took a deep breath and held it for several seconds. "Damn you. You're very persuasive."

"It's part of my charm. So you'll go?"

"I'll go."

"Great!"

Rory laughed. "Ha, we haven't told Lorelai yet."

He gave her a questioning, slightly scared look but the opening kitchen door prevented her from explaining.

"Steven. Meg said something was wrong." Tristan strode into the kitchen in long strides, looking just like a businessman. Jinx held onto his hand and hurried behind him. Meg stood in the doorway.

"My dad is sick, Tristan. Thanks so much for your hospitality, but I need to go home and be with him. Beth said it wouldn't be long now." Steven said.

"Oh Steve." Tristan said.

"Steven I'm so sorry." Jinx said, hugging him.

"Jinx, I'm going to go with Steven." Rory said, pulling aside her sister.

"What? Why?" Jinx asked.

"He wants me too." Rory said, whispering to her sister and sharing a sister moment.

Jinx mouth dropped and then formed into a big smile. "Rooory! What did you do to him?"

"Worked my charms." Rory said, causing laughter.

"Ok. Have a safe trip." Jinx said, hugging her sister tightly. "I love you, Rory."

"I love you too, little sister. Take good care of my nieces and nephews." Rory said, kissing her sister's cheek and patting her still flat stomach.

Rory and Meg quickly rounded up Luke and Lorelai while Steven said goodbye to Richard and Emily.

"Mom, Luke, I am going to Chicago."

"Chicago? Why?" Luke said, jumping into dad role.

"Steven's father is very sick and he asked me to go with him to Chicago."

"Rory, you barely know him!" Lorelai protested.

"I know, Mom, but he asked me to go and I really like him. Please just let me do this. I am 27 and will do it with your blessing or not, but I'd like you to wish me a good trip and say good bye. Please, Mom." Rory pleaded.

Lorelai heaved a huge, exaggerated sigh and hugged her daughter. "Have a good trip. Bye."

Rory pulled back and smiled. "Thanks Mom. I love you."

"I love you too."

Rory turned to Luke. "Rory-" He started.

Rory stopped him. "Luke, please." She pleaded.

"Take Meg with you. Take your sister. Or take Jack. Take both of them! That way you won't have to travel alone if Steven decides to stay in Chicago." Luke said, grabbing her arms.

"Luke, I'm 27. Just let me go. I'll be fine. I've traveled alone before."

Luke just nodded his head. "I have to go home and pack pretty quickly. Maybe you can give me a ride home? Or Jinx could."

"No, we'll all leave. Let's go say goodbye to your grandma and round up the posse." Lorelai said. She led the way down the hall, picking up Jack and Jinx along the way.

Finally they found Emily in the living room. "Mom, can we talk to you?"

"Of course. Steven was just here, telling me he needed to leave- something about his father's health."

"His father is very sick Grandma, and I am going to travel with him to Chicago."

"What?" Emily asked looking appalled. "You barely know him."

Tristan walked up right then. "I know him, Emily, and I have for a long time. He is my best friend and completely trustworthy."

"I don't doubt his credibility, Tristan. I just don't understand Rory's need to go with him. She just met him tonight."

"Grandma, he asked me to go with him. It's no big deal." Rory said.

Emily grudgingly nodded. "Alright."

"So we need to get going, Mom." Lorelai said.

Again, Emily looked shocked. "All of you?"

"We came in one car and we need to take Rory home to pack." Lorelai explained.

Emily reluctantly hugged each person. "Alright, I understand."

"Thanks for the party, Grandma, it was wonderful as usual. We have really got to run, so could you give our regards to Grandpa."

"Of course, dear."

The family piled into the car with plans to meet Steven in Stars Hollow after he collected his things from his apartment.

They rode in silence and Rory could sense that her mom and Luke were still uneasy about her going.

"I'll be fine." Rory spoke, breaking the silence.

"I know." Lorelai said. Luke just nodded.

"Please don't be mad at me. What if my plane crashes tonight and you were mad at me?" Rory said.

Luke and Lorelai both tensed up and Rory heard Tristan mutter, "Bad move, Ror."

"I'm sorry. Bad example. But don't you get my point?" Rory said desperately.

"We do, Rory, and if you get on that plane tonight, we will all be on good terms. We just don't understand why you need to fly halfway across the country with some guy you don't know." Luke said.

"It's strange, I know. I'm not even sure why I'm doing it. But I don't have to explain myself to you! I'm a big girl!" Rory said.

"No, no I refuse to go where we are going with this conversation. You're flying to Chicago tonight with Steven. That's it. We are happy. We are happy." Lorelai said. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"Mom, please don't be mad. You either, Luke. I don't want to be halfway across the country with my parents mad at me." Rory said.

They all fell silent, but everyone knew this wasn't over.

Rory pulled her two suitcases up the front steps of the Gilmore house and left them on the porch. She opened the door and went into the house to find Tristan and Jack on the couch watching TV with Jinx sandwiched between them. Rory heard people moving around upstairs and assumed that it was Meg and Lorelai. Luke walked out of the kitchen with two mugs of coffee and stopped when he saw her. "Hey, Rory. Coffee's in the kitchen."

"Lucas!" Lorelai sang in a high pitched voice.

"Coffee, dah-ling." Meg called.

He shot her an apologetic look. "Sorry. Duty calls."

Rory laughed. "No problem. I still know where the coffee is in this house."

She got herself a cup of coffee and joined the gang in the living room. Jack's eyes were focused on the sitcom on TV. His hand was steadily moving from the bag of chips to his mouth and back again. Jack had changed into jeans and a polo shirt and Tristan had taken off his coat and tie and unbuttoned his top button. Jinx wore jeans and a t-shirt that Rory recognized as Meg's, which led to the assumption that Tristan and Jinx hadn't been home.

Rory wandered up the stairs with her cup of coffee and slumped onto Meg's bed. Her sister smiled at her and continued writing in a notebook.

"So, you really like Steven, huh?" Meg said suddenly.

Rory looked up with a small smile. "Yeah, I really think I do. And I haven't had an adventure in a while. I hate being so grounded…I want to be free and independent and spontaneous some times.

Meg nodded with a smile and Rory wandered out of the room. She stopped in front of Luke and Lorelai's closed door and heard low argumentative tones coming from inside. She strained to hear what was going on.

"I just don't understand, Lorelai. Why does she need to go?" Luke asked tensely.

"I don't know, Luke. Honestly, I don't know. But we have to side with her on this. She is going to do it anyway, and we have to back her or else she will go anyway and resent us for not giving our blessing."

"Lor-"

"Luke, we raised our kids to be independent." Lorelai didn't let him get a word in.

"I know." Luke said. Rory thought she heard crying. "Oh Lor don't cry."

"I can't help it. My baby is leaving, and my other baby I'm not talking to. I can't handle this right now."

"Then put your foot down."

"Not going to happen. It's better for me just to accept it. I can't fight my kids." Lorelai said, sounding muffled. "Why didn't she tell me, Luke?"

Rory backed away from the door and headed down the stairs as the doorbell rang. She made her way to the foyer and through the glass of the windows, she could see Steven's tall lean frame.

"Hi." She said, hugging the door as she opened it.

"Hi." He said. She smiled up at him.

"I'm ready."

"Good. We have reserved tickets, but we need to check in at least an hour ahead of time. I'd like to get to the airport around midnight, but it's only 10 now. We can relax for a little while." He said, slipping an arm over her shoulders. She smiled and led the way into the living room.

"Hey, Steve." Tristan spoke up, finally tearing his eyes away from the screen.

"Hey Tristan. Hi Jinx." Jinx smiled and nodded hello. Steve and Rory sat down across from the sofa on some chairs.

Soon the boys were absorbed in another show and Jinx pulled her sister into the kitchen.

"So Rory...what do you think of Steven?" Jinx said, filling a glass with water while Rory filled her coffee cup. They sat down next to each other at the table and Jinx pulled her legs up under her.

"I hate to admit it, Jinx, but I really like him."

"Why do you hate to admit it?"

"You know why—because I gave Tristan so much trouble about trying to set me up." Rory said.

"Forget Tristan. This is about you and Steven." Jinx said with a sisterly smile. "I'm going to miss you while you're in Chicago, Ror."

"I wish you could go with me, Jinxie. I wish it could be like when we were little and we all did everything together. The 4 little kids we used to be. Everyone knew when there was one Danes kid, three more weren't far behind. Now, I'm going off on a limb and pissing off my parents and leaving my family."

"We have to grow up sometime, Rory, and you know part of growing up is pissing off parents. You remember how Daddy wigged when I told everyone I was engaged!" Jinx said. Rory laughed, nodding her head vigorously. "We're grown ups now, Sis. I'm married. I still can't believe it."

"Jinx, you're **pregnant**." Rory said, smiling at her sweet little sister.

"I'm pregnant. Wow. And Mom hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, Jinxie. She's just upset that you didn't tell her. Really upset. You, Meg, and I have always told her everything, and I don't think she likes being second fiddle." Rory paused. "You'll be a great mom, Jinx. To all five of your babies."

"Thanks, sis. So will you...someday." Jinx smiled.

Rory laughed and the sisters embraced.

"Don't let him get away, Rory. He's a refrigerador." Jinx said.

Rory laughed, thinking about the origin of that joke.

FLASHBACK TO 2009

"It's over! Tristan is a scumbag!" 19 year old Jinx Danes stormed into the house. 24 year old Rory, the only person home, jumped up from the kitchen table and followed Jinx into her bedroom.

"Jinx, what happened?" Rory said. Her sister was lying on the bed, curled on her side. Rory sat behind her and stroked her hair.

"We broke up." Jinx said through tears.

"Oh sweetie why?"

"I don't know...he yelled...then I yelled...oh I don't know!" Jinx cried harder.

"Oh Jinx. Sweetie, you love Tristan, don't you?" Rory said.

"Yeh-hic-ess."

"Well then you should fix this, honey."

"I don't know how."

"Just tell him you love him. It'll be ok Jinxie."

"Thanks, Rory." Jinx said, hugging her sister.

"Don't let him get away. He's a refrigerator." Rory whispered to her sister.

Jinx pulled back. "A refrigerator?"

"Yeah, Mom told me this story once. It was around the time she and Luke were getting married. Wow, I can't believe I remember it. I think I asked her why she was marrying Luke. And she told me, 'Rory, I've caught a lot of fish in my life. Bobby, Mike, and Leo were all great catches. But now, now I've caught a refrigerator- Luke. When you're fishing, isn't it more fun to catch something interesting like a refrigerator or a tire rather than a boring old fish?' You've caught a refrigerator, Jinxie. Don't let him get away."

END FLASHBACK

"Maybe you're right, Jinx. Maybe I have caught a refrigerator. Too soon to know." Rory said with a smile.

"Hate to break up this little sister fest but I need to talk to Rory before she leaves." Lorelai walked into the kitchen.

"Ok. I'll be trying to tame the guys." Jinx said with a smile. She stood with her glass and walked out of the kitchen and Lorelai sat down in her seat.

"Listen to me and listen good. Luke doesn't want you to go. I'm not too fond of it myself. But you are going and you are going with our blessing. I wish I knew why you were so set on going across the country with a guy you barely know, but I don't. I wish I could say that you WILL be on a plane in 3 days, but...but you..." Lorelai took a deep breath. "Rory, you're my baby. You were my first kid and I grew up with you. For the first four years of your life, it was you and me, me and you. Now don't get me wrong, I never have and never will have a favorite kid. It's like trying to pick a favorite ice cream. Just not possible. But you will always hold a special place in my heart because of how I got you. You're my baby girl and I don't want anything to happen to you. I would keep you here with me forever, except I know that can't happen. So please just help me out and come back to me. Don't leave me here. I don't want any of my babies to ever leave me, but you're the oldest Rory. You'll start a trend." Lorelai felt like she was off topic. She narrowed in on her point. "Please don't leave me, Babe, 'cause if you do, they all will." Rory reached out and hugged her mom tightly.

"I'll never leave, Mom. Things will change, I might live somewhere far away, and one day I will have my own family, but I'll always be your baby."

"Good. Now go get on a plane, kid."

"I love you, Mom." Rory smiled at her mom and they hugged one more time. "Now, I want to talk to you."

"About?" Lorelai feigned innocence.

"You know about what. She didn't mean it, Mom. She only found out herself yesterday. Miss Patty must have been hiding behind a tree or something."

"I know." Lorelai said unconvincingly.

"Please, Mom, this has her really upset and I know you're really upset too so you two should just settle this." Rory said.

"How do you know I'm upset?" Lorelai said defiantly.

"Because I know you." Rory said with a smile.

She stood and made her way into the living room.

Steven glanced at his watch and said, "What do you say we get going?"

Rory nodded. "Sure, I'm ready."

"Ok. Goodbye time." Lorelai said, stepping forward. She hugged Steven first, to everyone's surprise, and whispered something in his ear, making him smile. She moved on to Rory.

"We've done this already, kid." Lorelai said, her eyes a little bit watery.

"I love you Mom." Rory said, stepping into her arms.

"I love you too. Bye, sweets." Lorelai let go of Rory. Rory held on.

"Talk to Jinx, Mom," Rory said into Lorelai's ear.

Rory moved onto Luke.

"Come home soon, kid." He whispered in her ear. Luke was really an emotional man when it came to people close to him. Luke had adopted Rory when she was 7 and she had officially become a Danes kid, despite her last name.

"I will. I promise. Make sure they talk, ok?" He kissed her cheek, nodded, and she stepped back. Meg, Tristan, Jinx, Jack, Luke, and Lorelai stood facing Steven and Rory. Steven and Tristan shook hands and Tristan said, "Take good care of her, Steve, or I'll have to hunt you down."

Rory smiled a small smile and hugged her brother-in-law and best friend. More goodbyes were said and finally Steven and Rory were out the door.

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	5. Chapter 5

Upon reaching the airport, they settled in for the ½ hour wait. Rory relaxed in her seat. Steven was staring around the airport, and Rory pulled out her laptop and several papers from her bag and began to type.

"What are you typing?" Steven asked.

"My book. Remember I told you about my book about growing up in my house. I asked Jinx, Meg, and Jack to write a section about specific things. Jinx did holidays, Meg did meals, and Jack did vacations. They already gave me their parts, now I just have to do the rest of the book." She said nonchalantly.

"Can I read it?"

"Sure. I'm almost done, actually, but I am working on Jinx's part about holidays. I've already done Meg's part about meals. I am the only writer in my family." Rory said with a laugh.

Steven smiled and reached for the papers in her hand. She handed them over and studied his reactions as he began to read.

'Ever since I was a little girl, we've been eating at Luke's diner. Luke is my father, so you might not find this odd, but the odd part is we NEVER ate at home. Daddy worked all day so he wasn't home to cook, and the only member of my family who inherited Daddy's culinary skills was Jack, who helped Daddy in the diner when he wasn't in school. Most mornings, Jack and Daddy would wake up early and go to the diner. Therefore, on most mornings my sisters and I ate pop tarts on our way out the door. Mom knew how to work the toaster.

For lunch, I ALWAYS bought food at the cafeteria. Daddy made sure there was always food in the house, but the best I could make was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Rory tells me that when she was little, before Mom and Dad got married, there was never food in the house so they HAD to eat at Luke's. I guess I'm lucky for that or else my parents may have never gotten together.

Dinner was always an experience. Daddy always gave Mom trouble about her coffee intake, and as my sisters and brother and I inherited her habits, he gave us trouble too. So most of our meals were spent arguing with Daddy about getting our coffee.

Our mom and dad always made sure we had food in our bellies. No matter what, no matter where we ate or what it was, all the Danes kids were always full.

-Meghan Gilmore Danes'

"Wow, that's good." Steven said when he finished reading.

Rory looked up from the screen and smiled. "Meg has great ideas; she just can't always get them out on paper. I just changed some structure."

He smiled and let her get back to work. She packed up her laptop when they boarded. The two spent the next few hours talking and finally they landed in Chicago. A cab took them to Chicago Memorial.

"You know, I could take you home. My home, I mean. You don't have to waste your time stuck in the hospital." Steven stopped and turned around when they reached the doors of the hospital.

"Don't worry about it, I have my work. It'll keep me busy for hours." Rory insisted, pushing him into the hospital. He inquired at the front desk and then led them to the elevator.

"I'll wait here." Rory said upon reaching the 8th floor waiting room. They stood in the hall outside the room. "Come back whenever you're done. If you want to stay all night, don't worry about it. I am completely fine."

"Are you sure?" He asked earnestly.

"I didn't come to be a nuisance, Steven."

"You came because I asked you to." He said smugly, warmly wrapping her in a hug.

"It's fine. Go be with your family." She leaned up and chastely kissed his cheek. As she pulled back, she heard a voice call out.

"Stevie!" Rory looked up and saw a young girl with long wild chocolate brown hair streaming out behind her.

"Brooke! How's Dad?" Steven said, catching her in his arms.

"Not good, Steve. He doesn't have much longer. The doctors aren't sure he'll last through the night." She said, close to tears. Finally, she noticed Rory. "Who is she?"

"Brooke, you remember Tristan right?"

The girl nodded her head.

"Well this is Tristan's sister-in-law, Rory. Tristan married her sister, Jinx, and when I heard I was coming back here, I asked her to accompany me on the trip."

"Oh." She said, sizing them up.

"Well, we better go see Dad. You sure you'll be ok here, Rory?"

"Go, Steven."

Rory settled into the waiting room, continuing to write. By the time she was there for four hours, she had written several chapters. Rory glanced at the clock and saw that it read 7 am. She glanced out the window and to her surprise, the sun was rising. She then fell asleep stretched out on a couch and a few hours later she was nudged awake by Steven. He sat on the edge of the sofa and Rory leaned up on her elbow.

"Will you come with me?" He asked.

"Where?" She asked groggily, wiping sleep out of her eyes.

"To the room. He's dying." He said, his eyes clouding over with tears.

"Of course I'll go." She said, standing with him

They hurried down the hall to a room on the left. Rory peeked into the dark, eerily silent room. A man with gray hair was asleep in the bed and looked very pale. An older woman sat on one side of the bed, holding a rosary and his hand. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her lips were moving quickly, though no sound came out.

'She must be praying the rosary.' Rory thought to herself.

A younger woman, presumably Steven's sister Beth, sat on the other side of the bed. Brooke sat behind her, leaning on the older girl's back, and both sisters clutched the other hand and cried silently. A young man who looked a lot like Steven sat rubbing the older woman's back.

Rory hesitated by the door, but Steven pulled her in. He sat in a chair at the foot of the bed and rested his free hand on the blanket. Rory rested a hand on his back, keeping him aware of her presence. Steven put his head down on the bed, face first, and stayed eerily still.

Suddenly, the machine that had been giving off a steady beep beep began to wail. Steven's head shot up and everyone tensed. A nurse rushed into the room and began checking things. Finally, she turned off the machine emitting the noise.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cashen."

Rory hung onto Steven's arm as they walked away from the grave. She had wanted to hang at the back of the crowd, but he insisted she stay with him.

Apparently Steven's father was a very popular man. He had been a doctor, and he must have healed a ton of people because the large church was filled to capacity. He would really be missed.

They then returned to Steven's family's house where she had been staying for several days and where a wake was held.

Finally, several days after the funeral, everyone went home. The house was empty except for the Cashen family and Rory.

"Steven." Rory said, looking up at him. The two sat on the sofa in the living room, not really paying attention to the turned on TV. He looked down at her.

"I'm leaving this evening, Steven. I've stayed too long and it's time for me to let your family mourn alone and in peace." Rory said, looking into his big sad eyes.

"Rory, you are welcome here as long as you would like to stay. You haven't overstayed your welcome!" He insisted, his arm tightening around her shoulders, as if, if he held on tightly enough, she wouldn't leave.

"Either way, it's time for me to go. I've been here for a week and my parents really want me home. You and your family need to mourn and I'm just in the way." Rory looked down at her hands and then back up at his face. "Could you take me to the airport?"

He nodded his head. "Of course I will. You came to Chicago with me, Rory. The very least I can do is drive you to the airport. I wish I could head back to Hartford with you, but my family really needs me right now."

"Oh, of course." Rory said, nodding emphatically.

"What time?"

"4."

"Alright." He said, wrapping her in his arms. He slowly lowered his face to hers and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She smiled on the inside as she kissed back.

Rory and Steven stood outside the airport. Her flight would take off in 10 minutes, and it was time to say goodbye.

She turned and looked up into his green eyes. She glanced down at her hands and then back up at his face. "Steven, please come back. Take your time here, but please come back. I've caught a refrigerator, and I'm not willing to let go." She suddenly leaned forward and kissed him passionately. Just as suddenly, she pulled away and walked through the security gates.

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	6. Chapter 6

3 months later—January 7, 2013, early morning

"Rory! Rory, open the door!" Rory stirred from her sleep to the pounding on her door. She stumbled down the hall of her apartment and threw open the door. Meg and Jack tumbled into the apartment in sweatpants, t- shirts, and fleece jackets. They looked like they just rolled out of bed.

"What? What's wrong?" Rory asked urgently, shaking her sister's shoulders.

"Jinx is in labor!" Rory flew into her room when she heard that and flew into a pair of jeans and sweatshirt. She shoved on her sneakers and grabbed her keys and her purse on the way out the door. Luke and Lorelai were waiting in the car when they got outside.

"Where's Jinx?" Rory said, closing the door.

Luke drove slowly and carefully out of the apartment parking lot and down the main street of Stars Hollow, towards the diner.

"Pick up the pace, Lukey."

"We've done this before, Lorelai, you know we have hours before the babies come. A whole lot of waiting."

He jumped out and stuck a sign to the door of the diner, which Rory assumed explained his absence.

"She and Tristan went ahead to the hospital. They were halfway there when they called me a half an hour ago." Lorelai said as Luke jogged back to the car.

"She's almost full term. 6 ½ months isn't bad for a woman carrying 5 babies." Rory said optimistically.

"No, she carried them for a long time. But still..." Lorelai sounded worried but didn't want to worry her younger children. When Rory leaned forward and patted her arm, Lorelai looked into her eyes with a look Rory recognized as fear.

"Did you fix things with her Mom? I never asked." Rory asked suddenly, halfway to the hospital.

"Yes." Lorelai said tensely, preoccupied with thinking about the well-being of her daughter and future grandchildren.

They drove into a parking space near the door and Luke led the way to the lobby.

"Genevieve Dugray, please." Lorelai said upon reaching the counter. The young receptionist typed into the computer for a moment before responding.

"Room 345. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor..." The receptionist trailed off when she realized the group wasn't waiting for her. They ran to the elevator and Rory willed it to go faster as they went to the third floor. Even though they had a lot of waiting ahead of them, Rory would feel better once she knew her sister was ok.

"I could walk faster..." Meg grumbled. Jack jabbed her in the side and she closed her mouth.

The Danes clan quickly found room 345 and their spirits were brightened when they entered to see Jinx throwing ice.

"That's my girl." Lorelai murmured.

"Mom! Daddy! Rory, Meg, Jack!" Jinx called. She immediately hunched in pain.

Meg, Jack, and Luke stood still in horror, but Rory and Lorelai advanced.

"It's just a contraction. Luke you wouldn't think you'd gone through 3 births with me." Lorelai shook her head as she went to the other side of the bed. Rory settled in next to Tristan.

"Mom, I'm scared." Jinx whispered as she held her mother's hand.

"You'll be fine, baby. You're strong and you're going to have 5 healthy babies." Lorelai whispered, brushing hair back from her face.

"I hope so."

Luke paced impatiently and Meg, Jack, and Lorelai fidgeted in their seats. Rory sat on the windowsill and watched raindrops roll down the window. Every once in a while someone would heave a huge sigh. This had been the drill for the past 6 hours since they had been kicked out of Jinx's room.

Suddenly Rory flew from her window seat to the door and everyone looked up to see a haggard looking Tristan standing in the doorway. Rory threw her arms around him and he visibly sunk into her, dropping his head to her shoulder, exhausted. They all immediately crowded him to hear the story.

"She was great. Amazing. You wouldn't have recognized her." He said.

"Is she ok?"

"She's fine. She is resting now, probably sleeping, and the doctors expect she will sleep for a while."

"Tris, what about the babies?" Rory asked hesitantly.

His face clouded over. "I guess we were lucky. All were delivered and we saw them for a few minutes before we...before we lost one."

"Oh god." Luke said. He wrapped his arms around Lorelai and silent tears ran down her cheeks. Rory wrapped her arms around Tristan, her best friend since forever, as he cried in her arms over the loss of his baby. Meg sunk down to the couch and she and Jack held on to each other.

"Does Jinx know?" Luke finally asked.

"Yes." Tristan said, gaining some control. "I knew she would want to know. She is devastated and she feels like it is her fault, but the grief counselors are working with her and she will be ok. She is happy, if you can use that word, that 4 of the babies are ok. They will have to stay here for a while and they only weighed in at about 1 ½ pounds each. Unfortunately, they aren't out of the woods yet." Tristan said.

"What are they?" Jack asked.

"There are 2 girls and 2 boys. We lost a little girl, and Jinx already decided to name her Lorelai Joy..." He took a deep breath, forcing back tears, and went on. "...for the joy she brought us for just a few minutes." Lorelai gasped and buried her face in Luke's shoulder.

Luke rubbed Lorelai's back and spoke to Tristan. "Can we see her? Can we see the babies?"

"The doctor says it would be best to wait to see Jinx until tomorrow. As for the babies, they are in NICU and only I can go in. I'll hold each baby up to the window, though, and you can see them."

"Have you seen them yet?"

"Yeah. They are beautiful. So tiny but so beautiful." He said, smiling like a new daddy.

"Let's go see the babies."

They went down the hall quietly and came up to a window. Looking in, they could see tons of babies in incubators, some malformed babies, others who were very tiny.

"Ok, I'm going in." He disappeared behind a door and a few minutes later he reappeared inside the room in full garb. He wore a mask over his face, a gown, and a cap on his hair. He indicated a row of 4 incubators and they all stared intently at the little bundles, little bundles of hope.

"Steven, they are so beautiful." Rory spoke into her cell phone as she looked through the glass at her 3 week old nieces and nephews. They were out of incubators and were growing at a steady pace. Each now weighed about 4 pounds, except for the runt of the litter who still only weighed in at 3.5.

"I can't wait to see them. Have they named them yet?"

"Yeah, she is finally telling us today. They get to leave tomorrow, and Jinx is so happy to have all her babies at home with her." Rory said.

"That's great. Well, my plane is landing in a few minutes, so I have to go. I'll see you at home?"

"You should come to the hospital. We'll still be here and you can see Jinx and meet the babies. I can't believe they kept you on this business trip for 3 ½ weeks."

"I know, but I'm back now. I'll be there in half an hour. See ya, babe."

"Bye, Steve."

Rory hung up the phone and smiled. She and Steven had been going out for several months and they were still very happy.

"Rory. She's going to tell us now!" Meg said, jogging down the hall. Sure enough, Rory looked into the nursery to see a nurse and Tristan picking up the babies.

"Great. I'm so excited!" Rory said. Meg and Rory hurried down the hall to the waiting room.

"Jinxie, sweetie, tell tell!" Lorelai was saying urgently.

"No, Mom, not until everyone is here and the babies are here." Jinx laughed.

Just then the babies arrive with Tristan and the nurse and were set in the 4 baby carriers next to Jinx.

"Ok." Jinx said, standing from the sofa. She went to the first carrier. "This will be Wyatt Lucas Dugray." Murmurs of approval were heard throughout the room. She removed the blue blanket to reveal a blue sleeper with 'Wyatt' embroidered on it. She put him back in the carrier and continued down the line, on to the green clad baby. "This is Nicholas Gilmore Dugray...Caroline Danes Dugray... and Jordan Meghan Dugray, our runt." She removed the blanket for each girl and revealed Caroline in pink and Jordie in yellow.

Rory clapped in excitement and Jinx smiled. "We tried to pull out the family names. Lucas, Gilmore, Danes, Meghan, and Lorelai. Everyone is in there somewhere." Everyone laughed.

"So do they have nicknames?" Meg asked.

"Yes, the ones on their sleepers. Nicky in green and Jordie in yellow. Caroline and Wyatt don't have instant nicknames but we'll come up with something."

"Wy." Tristan said.

"Why? Because I love the name, I told you Tristan. You loved it too." Jinx said.

"No I mean Wy can be his nickname." Tristan said with a laugh. "I'm just lucky I liked the names she picked." Jinx slapped his arm and gave a smirk.

Rory laughed. "I love them too, Jinx."

"Good. Now, Rory, Megs, Jack….would you guys like to be the godparents of some of our little ones?"

"Oh Jinx! We'd love to!" Meg said, excitedly looking from her brother to her sister.

"Awesome. Meg and Jack, you'll have Jordie and Wyatt. Ror, you will have Nicky and Caroline. And we were hoping….do you think Steven would like to be the godfather?"

"Oh Jinxie, I think he'd love it." Rory said with a smile. "He's stopping by, you can ask him."

"Oh, good."

"So our runts are in yellow and blue?" Meg said with a smile.

"Yup. Good thing for us is they aren't identical...in fact, two are blondies and two are brunettes. Coincidentally, Rory's are the dark haired bunch and Meg and Jack's are the blondes." Jinx informed the family. They buzzed around, trading babies.

"Oh, Jinx, they all have blue eyes just like you and Tristan." Rory exclaimed. Each baby had big blue eyes staring up at them.

"Knock knock knock, anyone home?" Heads swiveled to the door and Steven stood there with a dozen roses. Rory ran to him and they kissed.

"Ok, no PDAs when you're holding my child!" Jinx called.

They broke apart and Rory blushed, hugging Caroline to her. Steven strode over to Jinx and kissed her cheek. She hugged his neck and he gave her the roses.

"Did I miss the naming?"

"Yeah, but we have a surprise for you." Jinx said, moving to Tristan's side.

"Oh, what's that?" Steven said, putting his arm over Rory's shoulders.

"Steve, will you be the godfather of two of our children?" Tristan said.

Steve looked shocked. He looked for Tristan to Jinx to Rory and back again. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely. It'll be you and Rory and Meg and Jack."

"Of course I will! Which ones do I get?" He asked excitedly.

Everyone chuckled as Rory held up the pink clad baby she was holding. "This is Caroline Danes Dugray. Nicholas Gilmore Dugray is in green, and he's our other little one." Luke stepped forward with the baby and Steve cupped his cheek. "Jack and Meg have my other beautiful niece and nephew, Wyatt Lucas and Jordan Meghan Dugray."

"Wow...lots of names. Let's see if I can get this. Wyatt, Nicholas, Caroline, and Jordan."

"Good job. I think I can even identify them by color." Lorelai said with a laugh.

"It'll be a challenge." Jinx said uncertainly, reaching for the closest baby, Caroline. "I'll need a lot of babysitters. Tristan and I can't do this on our own."

"Don't worry, kid. I've got godchildren now so I think I'll have to stay in town more often." Steven said, slinging an arm around Jinx and Caroline.

Rory folded her arms. "I guess a girlfriend wasn't enough."

"Oh babe, you know you've got me." He said with a smile. Rory defiantly began to walk away. He grabbed her around the waist and swung her around to face him. He kissed her nose and she smiled, so glad to have her boyfriend back.

8

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	7. Chapter 7

Early June 2013

"La la la…" Rory sang randomly. She stood in front of the mirror and straightened her tailored black pants. She tugged on her Bordeaux Beaded Halter, a gift from a shopping day with Steven. She checked her hair in the mirror, satisfied with the style she had chosen for the evening. She and Steve were meeting Jess and Paris for dinner. Slipping on her favorite stilettos, she walked into the hallway of her apartment at the same time Steven walked out of the bathroom a little down the hall. He wore navy sweatpants and no shirt and Rory let out a low whistle. He turned, not knowing she was there, with a shocked look on his face. Rory began laughing.

"You think that's funny?" He asked. "I'll show you funny." He suddenly grabbed her around the waist and lifted her onto his shoulder with ease. Rory struggled for a second and then gave into his strength. She figured he would throw her on the couch or something.

What she didn't expect was for him to open the front door.

"Steven?" She asked as he walked barefoot down the hall of the apartment building. As he got to the end of the hall, he knocked on Jinx and Tristan's door. They lived at the end of Rory's hall. The door opened almost immediately and Rory strained to see. She saw a double inline stroller and judging from the masculine legs beneath it, Tristan had opened the door.

"Oh my god...what the hell are you two doing?" He asked, his voice laced with laughter.

"Rory thought she would be funny today, so I decided to show her funny." Steven said mischievously.

"Steven Daniel Cashen, you better watch yourself! This is no way to get a girl!" Rory said from her upside down position.

"Tris, do you have a megaphone?" Steven asked, and surprisingly Tristan returned quickly with one.

"Thanks a million, Tristan."

"Tristan?" Rory heard Jinx call from inside the apartment.

"Come check this out, babe. It'll have you laughing for a year!" Tristan called back.

"Tris!" Rory cried. She pounded her fists on Steven's back to no avail. Suddenly a peal of laughter was heard and she recognized it as her sister.

"Genevieve Danes Dugray!" Rory called. She could see another double inline stroller and she assumed they both held her nieces and nephews.

"Sorry, Rory, this is too funny." Jinx said.

Steven continued down the hall, using the megaphone as he went through each hallway and then, once outside, down street after street announcing "Come see Rory Gilmore be thrown in the lake!"

"Steven! I'm wearing nice clothes! Do you know how much these shoes cost?" Rory screeched from over his shoulder.

She should have known better. No sooner had she finished her sentence than Steven reached up and plucked her brand new Michael Kors heels off of her feet.

"There," He said. "No worries."

She felt the warm sun beating on her shoulders and watched a crowd begin to form behind them, led by Patty and Babette. As they passed the diner, Luke noticed what was going on and ran out to catch up. They arrived at the Gilmore house finally and Steven stood still in front. "Lorelai, Meg, Jack! Come outside!" He called through the megaphone.

Rory had long ago stopped struggling and now propped her head up by resting her elbow against his back and resting her chin in her hand. Luke ran up behind her, ready to come to her rescue, but Rory shook her head and submitted to the idea of being thrown into the lake.

Meg poked her head out of her upstairs bedroom window and began to laugh hysterically. She disappeared from the window and reappeared with Jack and Lorelai on the front porch.

"Get your video camera and watch me throw Rory in the lake!" Steven called. Jack held up the video camera already around his neck and Lorelai held up a still shot camera. He now continued down the street. Rory glanced at the crowd behind her and realized half of the town must be there.

They reached the bridge and the entire group stopped at the edge with Jack in front with the video camera. Steven proceeded on. He lifted her off his shoulder and she closed her eyes, ready to feel herself soaring through the air, ready for the cold shock she was expecting. Instead, she felt solid ground beneath her feet. She opened her eyes to see that Steven had not thrown her into the lake but instead set her on the bridge.

"I've heard this is a special place." He said and instinctively Rory looked around for Jess. Jess and Rory had had many special moments on this bridge in the past 10 years that they had known one another. Shockingly, she found him at the edge of the crowd, near the front, with Paris. He had a small grin on his face. She looked back at Steven and nodded.

"Well, I'd like to make it more special." He turned to the crowd and Lorelai ran forward with a tiny ring box and her eyes shined like pearls. As she ran back, Steven got down on his knee. He looked up at her and she looked shock.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, will you marry me?" He said, opening the ring box to reveal a large diamond. She brought her hands to her mouth and it seemed like everyone there was holding his or her breath. Finally, she nodded. A smile broke out on her face, lighting up her pretty features. He slid the ring on her finger and kissed her hand. Everyone broke into loud applause. Rory even heard some whistling. Then, like a flash of lightning, Steven shot to his feet and lifted her in his arms.

Spinning around, Steven forgot he was on a bridge. When he set Rory down, she was at the very edge of the bridge and as they kissed, she leaned backward setting them off balance. She tried to scramble forward and Steven tried to pull her back, but the damage was done. With a scream, Rory fell backward into the lake pulling Steven with her. They surfaced to hear loud applause as Jack ran forward on the bridge with his video camera. Everyone followed him and Rory, in Steven's arms, looked up in amusement.

"I guess we caused quite a splash." Rory said, wiping tears from her eyes and laughing. He laughed and looked into her eyes.

"I really wasn't going to throw you in." He said with an adorable smile. They kissed again and Rory looked up again at the crowd. A sign was being unfolded that read "Congratulations Rory and Steven!" and suddenly she realized that this was planned. Her assumptions were affirmed when she saw Richard, Emily, and Beth, Brooke, Trip and Estelle Cashen standing with her family.

"You planned this." She said to him.

Water dripped from his wet dark hair and down his bare chest. "Yeah. Did you like it?"

"Loved it. It was perfect." She said, kissing him again. "And surprisingly warm."

"I'm glad." He said and she smiled, tickling his bare washboard stomach. "Well we have a party to get to." He said, pulling her through the water to the bridge.

"A party?" She asked as he hoisted her out of the water and sat her on the bridge.

"An engagement party." Lorelai said, squatting next to her daughter.

"Mom!"

Mother and daughter embraced sitting on the dock. Jack's video camera was still rolling, for which Rory was grateful. Not everyone got the most creative proposal on tape.

Finally they stood and Lorelai was now thoroughly soaked. Rory passed from hug to hug and Steven followed her down the line. Patty seemed to hold on to him a little too long and Rory had to swat her away.

"He's mine, Miss Patty." Rory said as she pulled him along with her. She laughed at the sparkle in Miss Patty's eyes.

Rory made her way through the crowd, hugging her sisters and her brother and Tristan and each niece and nephew and her grandparents and Steven's family and all the Stars Hollow people that she had known since birth. She hugged Dean and Lindsay and their two children, Donny and Grace. She hugged Paris and Jess and finally, she made it to the end where Luke waited patiently, a proud smile on his face. Rory settled into Luke's strong arms and he held her close.

"I don't care what the birth certificates or the DNA say. You're my baby girl." He said to her.

"I love you, Luke. You gave me a family...you made Mom happy and you gave me two sisters and a brother and I got you in the deal. Thank you so much. I love you all so much." Rory whispered in his ear. He kissed her cheek and then shook Steven's hand.

Steven hoisted Rory onto his shoulders and she waved her hands at the excited crowd.

"Attention! Attention!" Rory called. "Thank you all so much for being here. I am sure that Steven planned this somehow and I know I'll hear about it later. Right now, we need to go back and change. My fiancé didn't plan that well because he didn't bother to wear a shirt or shoes."

"Who's complaining?" Babette called.

Rory laughed as did everyone else. "I'm not! But we need to go get changed. See you in a few!" Rory called. Steve helped her down and they headed off towards her apartment while everyone else headed to the Gilmore house.

"I love you, Steven." She said, hugging his arm as they walked.

"Thanks for the update. I love you too."

"We're getting married."

"I noticed."

"I'm happy."

"Me too."

After two quick showers and a quick change, Rory and Steven made it to their engagement party. Rory wore her new Cynthia Steffe Pintuck Dress and Kenneth Cole New York 'Braidence' Sandals, more gifts from Steven. He sported Ralph Lauren Tissue Chinos and a light green polo. They exited the apartment building hand in hand and made their way toward the music and lights.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom!" Jinx yelled as soon as they entered the house. Rory and Steven laughed as everyone burst into applause.

Music was playing and every light in the house was on. Sookie ran out from the kitchen and threw her arms around Rory.

"Sweetie, I'm so excited for you!" She cried.

"Thanks, Sook! I hope you cooked for this!" Rory said, hugging her.

"I wouldn't let anyone else. Luke tried, but I kicked him out." She said with a giggle.

Rory laughed and pulled Steven into the living room where most of the action was.

"Sit sit!" Lorelai called. Several people jumped off the couch and Rory and Steven sat down with Meg and Lorelai.

"Ok, so tell me how this happened. Tell me about it all." Rory said eagerly. People sat around the coffee table on the floor and on chairs throughout the room and all conversations stopped when the story started to be told.

"Well, I knew I wanted to propose to you. It was just a matter of planning it, although I wasn't exactly sure what I was planning. I know some couples go for a private romantic proposal, but I know you Rory and I know that the most important moments of your life you like to share with your family and friends. I talked to your mom about it a lot and your whole family was in on it. Then, last week when you had to drive up to New York for a few days, we had a town meeting and I filled them in. I knew I would do it this week so my family came into town. They have been staying with your grandparents and as soon as we went to Tristan's, Jinx called the Gilmores. I wasn't sure exactly when I would do it, so today I walked up and down the street with the megaphone to let the town know that today was the day and because I went on every street, it gave your grandparents and my family time to get here." Steven said.

"It was like our secret code." Babette called.

"Wow. I'm impressed. That took a ton of planning, Steven, and it left a lot up to chance." Rory said.

"Yeah. I wasn't sure how I was going to get you to the bridge or how I was going to tell everyone but not let you know. It was a surprise for everyone, really, and that's why all the laughs and reactions were so genuine. They knew what I was doing but were surprised at how I did it. It worked out well because of that little whistle you gave me." He said with a smirk.

"Whistle?" Lorelai asked.

Steven opened his mouth but Rory pinched his side and he yelped. "Oh...nothing." He said finally.

"Wow, I don't know how to thank all of you for being here. Steven's right—I like to share important moments with all my family and friends." She said with a smile.

Luke, Sookie, Jack, and Tristan came into the room holding trays filled with glasses of champagne or juice for the minors. Everyone grabbed a glass and Luke stepped forward to make a toast.

"We have all known this little girl since she was born...she and her stubborn mother who breezed into town and took everyone by storm. She had a little girl, a little baby girl with big blue eyes and brown curls. That little girl turned four years old and her mom married a gruff young guy from the local diner. And that little girl latched on. She was a perfect angel all of the time, even when she didn't get as much attention because of one, two, and then three little siblings. She helped raise her sisters and brother and they always came to her when they needed advice or were in trouble. She watched her little sister be married and became the godmother of 2 of her sister's children. And now, now it's her turn. Rory Gilmore is getting married and we all wish her and Steven the best of luck." Glasses clinked together and a few tears fell down Rory's face. Lorelai stood up now.

"Not everyone is as lucky as I am. When people find out I had Rory at 16, they are shocked that she has done as well as she has. I'd like to, as her mother, take credit for all of that but I can't. Rory got where she is today on her smarts and charms and intuition and...well I don't have to list it all for this crowd, you know Rory. But she deserves credit for making me the way I am. Rory pushed me to do better. For the first four years of her life, it was just Rory and me. I knew I had to make a better life for her than living in the shed behind the inn. Everything I have done since I was 16 I have done for my children. And now, my oldest baby is leaving the nest. As Luke said, I wish Rory and Steven the best of luck in the future and hope they always stay close to us here in Stars Hollow and most of all I hope my baby stays close to me." Lorelai was choked by the end of her toast and she hugged her daughter tightly.

Jinx now stepped forward along with Meg and Jack. Each one held a baby and as the Quads, as the family liked to call them, grew older they were much easier to tell apart. "Ok, it's our turn. Meg, Jack, the Quads, and I would like to make a speech to our sister and our soon to be brother-in- law. Rory was five when I was born and that was a sort of big gap. It was good for me, though. When I was suffering through my teenage years, my sister was already out. I could go to her for advice and counsel. Rory and Mom definitely led me through my teenage years and I couldn't be closer to my sister. " Jinx looked to Meg.

"I have the same sentiments as Jinx. Rory is such a great sister. She just kind of jumped into the role of half mother. Whenever Mom or Daddy weren't available, we always knew we could go to Rory. I know people who are only children or worse, don't have any sisters. I don't think there could be anything worse than being sisterless- thankfully, I don't know. I also know families that are not close at all, something else I don't understand. Our family has always been close-knit. Even though Rory doesn't live at home anymore, it's still going to be weird when she gets married. I am very happy for her though. Having sisters, especially two as great as Jinx and Rory, is awesome." Meg said.

"I agree with my sisters—having sisters is awesome." A chuckle went through the crowd as Jack started speaking. "All of my friends who have sisters complain about it, but I couldn't love it more. I get advice about what girls like and how to treat them and I know firsthand the preparation that goes into dates and proms and dances. Rory is 11 years older than I am and most people would think 'what a huge gap, they can't be close.' Lucky for me, we are."

"The Quads would also like to congratulate Rory." Jinx said. Jinx, Meg, and Jack turned the babies around and on their butts was spelled out 'WE HEART R-G'. 'We' was on one butt, a heart was on the next, and then R and G was on the last two.

"My little babies! You are just too adorable!" Rory cried. Kissing and hugging each one several times.

"Are we going to be seeing any little Rorys or Stevens running around?" Miss Patty asked suggestively.

"Let's get them married first, Patty." Luke called.

"Oh of course." She said.

"Dinner is served!" Sookie called from the doorway.

Everyone moved to get in the buffet line and Rory and Steven were left with Lorelai on the couch.

"This is really great, Mom, letting us have the party here. Thanks." Rory said.

"No problemo." Lorelai said. "Rory, I've got sort of a surprise for you."

Rory looked at Steven to see an equally surprised look on his face.

"What, Mom?" Rory asked.

"Well, I don't know how this will be welcomed so I was hesitant to do this today. I don't want to ruin the day. But I don't think it will." Lorelai said.

Rory wrinkled her brow and as Lorelai pulled her up and toward the front door, she looked back to Steven for support.

Lorelai stood and went into the foyer. She returned with a dark haired man.

"Oh my god..." Rory whispered.

"Hey, kid." Christopher said, stepping forward.

"Dad!" Rory cried, running forward into his arms.

Everyone in the kitchen heard the outburst and ran to see who it was.

"Happy engagement, Ror!" Chris said, pulling back and holding her at her elbows.

"I can't believe you're here!" Rory cried.

"Me either...my baby girl is getting married." Christopher said.

"Yeah." Rory pulled Chris into the living room. "Dad, this is Steven, my fiancé. Steve, this is my bio-dad, Christopher Hayden."

They shook hands and shared greetings.

Lorelai walked over to Luke and took his hand. "She's so happy. I was afraid it would upset her or not work out. But he's here, he came, and she is happy."

"Yeah." Luke said. He stared at Rory, happily introducing Christopher to Steven, a huge smile ever present on her face. He felt a deep pain start in his heart, a pain he couldn't control. It felt like he was being...replaced?

"Ugh, I'm beat." Rory said, flopping her head onto Steven's chest. The house was empty except for Rory and her family. The elder Gilmores and the Cashens had returned to Hartford, Jess and Paris to the inn, and the Stars Hollowans to their homes.

"Yeah, I think we all are." Lorelai said, coming from the kitchen where she had been washing dishes. "You all are staying here tonight. I insist. My baby girl is getting married and we need another night in the house together. Tristan and Jinx and the Quads need to stay too. A big family thing."

"Mom, that's really too much trouble." Rory said.

"No it's ok, really. Tris and Jinx are putting the Quads to sleep on the floor in Jinx's old room (Rory's old room) and they can sleep in there with them. Meg and Jack can share Jack's room, Chris can have the sofa, and you and Steven can have Meg's room." Lorelai said to Rory. "It'll be like a traditional, Gilmore slumber party! Watch movies, eat candy, stay up late!"

Excited, she ran off to get the popcorn.

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	8. Chapter 8

Luke sat on the steps off the porch with a cup of coffee. He took a sip and stared aimlessly into the night. The front door opened and he turned to see who had joined him. Christopher stood in the doorframe with a mug of coffee.

"Hi." Chris said.

"Hi." Luke said.

"I can't believe she's getting married." Christopher said, trying to start a conversation. "I can't believe she's old enough to be getting married."

"Yeah well when you're never around, time really flies." Luke said somewhat bitterly.

"Excuse me?"

"What do you want, Christopher?"

"Want? Nothing. I was just talking about Rory and--"

"What do you want from this family? From Rory?"

Chris heaved a sigh. "I know I sucked in the dad department, but I'm sorry for that and I want to make things right. Rory deserves a father and I'm here."

"Rory has a father." Luke said.

"You're not her father, Luke. I appreciate you taking her in as your own, but you are Jinx, Meg, and Jack's father. I am Rory's father."

"Some father." Luke muttered.

"What?"

"Some father you were to her." Luke said boldly, rising from the step. "Who was sitting opposite of Lorelai when Rory took her first steps, ready to catch her? Who taught her how to ride a two-wheeler? Who cleaned up her first bloody knee when she fell off that two-wheeler? Who helped her make a kite for a school project when she was 7? Who stayed up 'til 3 am helping her study for the Chilton entrance exam when she was 16? Who presented her at her coming out party? Who held her while she cried over boyfriends? Who picked her up at parties in the middle of the night, when everyone else was trashed? Me and Lorelai. That's who did all of that. What did you do? Call once a month, twice if she was lucky. You didn't do anything to help raise her, you were never there when she needed you, and guess what? She doesn't now. She's got a mother, a father, two sisters, and a brother. She has a great cousin who she has been permanently attached to since they were five. She's got 2 nieces and 2 nephews whom she adores. Rory and Lorelai are freakishly linked and she and Lane are still best friends since kindergarten. Did you know she broke her leg when she was 10? Or that she had tonsillitis when she was 6 and had her tonsils removed? I didn't think so. You haven't been here for her during her 27 years of existence. Don't think you can start over now." Luke stood and stalked into the house.

Christopher followed him and headed into the living room, straight to Rory.

"Rory, I think I should go."

"Go? What? Dad, you just got here." Rory asked, jumping to her feet.

"Yeah, Chris, I said you could stay here." Lorelai put in.

"Why would you go so soon?" Rory asked.

"I don't know. Maybe you should ask your father." He said bitterly. He swept out the door.

"Luke?" Rory immediately turned to Luke, her eyes filled with confusion.

"I'm sorry Rory." Luke couldn't take seeing that lost look in her eyes. He had to escape and the best route was out the door.

"Ahhh…" Luke slammed down the rag he was using to wipe down the counter in the diner. "Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?"

"You stood up for that little girl you're holding on to. You stood up for me and for you and our parenting abilities. You stood up for what you believed in. You didn't do anything wrong." Lorelai spoke up.

He lifted his head slowly and saw her standing by the door.

"Lorelai, I didn't mean to make him leave. I tried to control my temper, like I always have where Christopher is concerned, but I just couldn't tonight." He said.

"I know, hon, and it's ok. She understands." Lorelai said, leading him around the counter and up the back stairs to the unused apartment.

"Understands what?" He said.

"I overheard your conversation. I told her everything and she gets it, Luke." Lorelai said.

"But I spoke for her so much. I mean, what if she does want him? What if she doesn't consider me her father?" Luke said. "I assumed so much."

"Hon, you should know better than that. I talked to her and she does want you. You are her father, her real father. You watched her grow up, you taught her anything she knows about nutrition, you kept her sane despite having me for a mother. You have done so much for her Luke and she loves you so much for it. She really feels you are her father. She was going to ask you to walk her down the aisle." Lorelai said as they sat on the couch.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah. She loves you Luke and she appreciates you standing up for her. She was excited to have Christopher back, but she didn't want to replace you." Lorelai said, hugging him. "Like when you find an old stuffed animal that you had fun with when you were little but haven't played with in a long time. You might be fascinated with it for a while and play with it for a little bit but you'd probably go back to you're good old bear that you've had since you were a baby. You're the bear, Luke. You and Rory have such a history. Chris is just a newbie, a guy passing through, really." Lorelai kissed him.

"Hi." A voice came from the door. They both looked up to see Rory standing in the apartment. "Could I talk to Luke?"

"Yeah. I'll be downstairs." Lorelai said.

"Hey." He said, standing and walking over to Rory. "Listen, Rory, I'm sorry I made your dad go home. I didn't mean to, but--"

"Luke, listen to me. You are my father. You led me through my crazy mixed up life. You have always been here for me no matter what. And I know that you always will. You're reliable and loyal, two things Da...Christopher isn't. Those also happen to be the two things I value most in any relationship. Thank you so much for always being here for me. And..." Rory said, staring at her hands.

"What?" He asked, taking her hands and trying to look into her eyes.

"Will you walk me down the aisle, Luke? At my wedding."

His throat constricted and Rory thought for a second he was going to cry. "Of course I will."

"Thanks...Dad."

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	9. Chapter 9

6 months later—Saturday December 13, 2013 – a surprisingly BEAUTIFUL DAY

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to join Lorelai Leigh Gilmore and Steven Daniel Cashen in holy matrimony." The priest said.

Lorelai and Luke sat in the front row. Rory's bridesmaids, Meg, Lane, Paris, Beth, Brooke, and Jinx the maid of honor and the flower girl, Martha, stood on Rory's left. The groom's men, Jack, Dave, Jess, Steve's friend and Beth's husband Adam, Trip, and Tristan, the best man, stood on the right with Davey, the ring bearer.

Rory and her bridesmaids were decked out in Vera Wang. The bridesmaids each wore a 'lame mermaid gown with empire waist and shirred bodice of English net' in light blue with Jinx in a darker blue. Rory wore a 'strapless modified a-line gown with draped curved neckline and a hem trimmed with Alencon and Chantilly lace.' The cummerbunds and ties of the boys matched the light blue of the girls, with Tristan in dark blue.

"Lorelai Leigh, do you take Steven Daniel to be your lawful wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Steven Daniel, do you take Lorelai Leigh to be your lawful wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

The service went on and before long, Rory and Steven were married.

"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Steven Cashen."

Lorelai jumped up in her seat and began whistling and cheering. Luke sat next to her, no longer embarrassed by her actions after 24 years, but still not willing to partake in them. The Quads unsteadily climbed to their feet and clapped, yelling "Wowy, Wowy."

Jinx and Tristan immediately left their posts and swooped down on their young children. Rory and Steve walked happily down the aisle and got in the limo. Everyone left the church and went back to Stars Hollow for a huge reception in the square, under a few huge heated tents. Rory and Steven were the center of attention and couldn't seem to get a single second to sit down. Rory got many compliments on her dress, and she gave Vera all the credit. After a slew of pictures, Rory and Steven had the chance to sit down and eat. Mid-meal, her sisters came up behind her, and Rory didn't notice the mike in Jinx's hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Rory jumped as she heard her sister's voice boom through the tent. "We would like to invite our sister and our new brother-in-law to the dance floor to share the first dance."

Rory smiled at Steven, and they stood. While they made their way down to the wooden dance floor in the middle of the tent, Meghan started talking.

"When we were younger, God back in like 2004, I remember hearing a song on the radio and Rory saying 'if a guy sings me this song, I'll marry him.' Well, Ror, you married him before he sang it to you, but here it is, Sis."

The beginning notes of Ciara's 'My Goodies' began playing, and Rory fell over in laughter.

"We're just kidding!" Jinx called, as the DJ cut off the music. Steven took Rory in his arms as Keith Urban's 'Memories of Us' started playing. Rory smiled.

At the end of the song, the two parted, looking up at each other lovingly. Suddenly, with no warning, Rory was spun around. A little off balance, she had a sister on each arm. "What the-"

"Careful, Rory, you're on the mike." Meg said with a grin, and a chuckle ran through the crowd. Jack joined the girls.

"Now we would like to have our dance with our sister." Jinx said into the mike. An 'aww' ran through the square, and a smile spread across Rory's face.

_Hey girl it's me I just called to tell you hi  
Call me when you get this  
Haven't talked lately so hard to find the time  
Give the boys a big kiss  
Tell them that I miss them  
By the way I miss you too_

I was thinking just today  
About how we used to play  
Barbie dolls and make-up  
Tea parties dress up  
I remember how we'd fight  
We made up and laughed all night  
Wish we were kids again  
My sister my friend

Oh yeah before I forget I met someone  
I think I really like him  
I was wondering if I'm jumping the gun  
By going out on a limb  
And invite him home for Christmas  
To meet the family

Seem like just yesterday  
You brought home old what's his name  
He had been drinking  
What were you thinking  
After dinner he passed out  
We can laugh about it now  
We've learned a lot since then  
My sister my friend

Do you think you could come and see me sometime soon  
We could just hang out like we used to  
It's late and I should go  
But I can't hang up the phone  
Until I tell you  
What I don't tell you enough  
Even though at times it seemed  
We were more like enemies  
I'd do it all again  
My sister my friend

Rory, Jinx, Meg, and Jack danced through the whole song, laughing and singing. At the end, Rory embraced each sister and brother.

"Alright, alright, attention please." Rory took the microphone. "It's my turn, now, to send out a song. Steven and I have had our song, my siblings and I have had our song, but there is one key person that cannot be forgotten. As we all know, I'll have dances with my fathers later, so I guess you can imagine who this one is for. Come on up, Mom."

Crying a little, Lorelai made her way toward Rory. She wore a BCBG Max Azria Strapless Satin Dress. The two hugged, shedding a few tears, and a song started playing in the background.

_She's never pulled anybody from a burning building  
She's never rocked Central Park to a half a million fans, screaming out her name  
She's never hit a shot to win the game  
She's never left her footprints on the moon  
She's never made a solo hot air balloon ride, around the world,  
No, she's just your everyday average girl but  
She's somebody's hero  
A hero to her baby with a skinned up knee  
A little kiss is all she needs  
The keeper of the cheerios  
The voice that brings Snow White to life  
Bedtime stories every night  
And that smile lets her know  
She's somebody's hero…_

The rest of the song played as the Stars Hollowans danced and listened to the meaningful lyrics.

"Oh Rory…" Lorelai said, hugging her daughter to her.

"I love you, Mom. You gave up everything for me. And in the end, we did it together. You and me, and then Luke, and then Jinxie and Meg and Jack, and then Tristan and now Steve….we've all done it together. We're here because of each other."

Lorelai smiled, never more proud of the child she raised.

Rory danced her father daughter dances, first with Luke to 'Daddy's Little Girl' by Michael Bolton, and a light-hearted 'Just the Two of Us' from Will Smith, which led to a square-wide dance party. Steven got in 'The Perfect Fan' with his mom, and was joined by Lorelai and Jack and other mother-son pairs.

Rory and Steven escaped for a few minutes to change out of the wedding garb and returned with Steven in khakis and a button down shirt and Rory in a pinkBari Jay Strapless Organza Dress with a long Michael Kors winter white coat. Rory tossed the bouquet and Paris caught it.

"Bye Rory! Bye Steven!" All the wedding guests crowded around the limousine that would take Rory and Steven to the airport. They hugged and kissed tons of people before Lorelai pushed them into the limo. A just married sign blew on the back of the car as they drove away. All the guests started to disperse.

"My baby girl is married." Lorelai said, leaning backwards against Luke, who stood behind her.

"Yup. I can't believe it."

"Me either."

Silence.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"You think...he'll treat her right, right?"

"Yeah, he will."

"I mean, he's a great guy and Rory really loves him, but...well, sometimes people change."

"I don't think he will. I think he's sincere. I think he loves her." Luke said.

"Really truly loves her?" Lorelai asked earnestly.

"Why all the questions? Why are you so skeptical of Steven?" Luke asked, turning her toward him.

"I just want her to be happy, Luke. The happiest moments of my life, besides when Rory was born, have been spent with you and my kids. I want that for my baby. Jinx has it with Tristan and the Quads, I have it with you and all our kids, Meg and Jack are bound to get there someday, when they are older. I want it for Rory, for my baby." Lorelai said.

"He's trustworthy, Lor. He's sincere and really a great guy. You know how critical Tristan is of Meg and Rory's boyfriends and he introduced them." He hugged her to him and she placed her head on his solid chest. "Don't forget, Rory inherited her mother's stubbornness and strength. She can hold her own if he becomes too...anything. She's strong, she'll be fine."

"Good." Lorelai said, closing her eyes contentedly.

Wednesday that same week

"Morning, Lorelai sweetie." A voice called to Lorelai as she walked across the lawn to pick up her paper.

"Morning, Babette." She called pleasantly.

"Have you talked to Rory? Is she enjoying her honeymoon with that gorgeous man?" Babette laughed suggestively and Lorelai smothered a laugh.

"Yeah, I talked to her last night. They are having a ball in Hawaii and are expected home on Friday." Lorelai called back.

"Good, good. Well, see ya later doll."

"Bye Babette." Lorelai walked into the house and joined Meg and Jack for pop-tarts.

"Ok, game plan. I have tons of meetings today to get the second Dragonfly open in Hartford. Tomorrow is pretty busy too, but should be better than today. Megs, can you give Jack a ride to Chilton on the way to school? He's missed the bus already." Lorelai said quickly, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Sure. See you later Mom." Meg said, pecking her cheek. Jack did the same, and soon the Gilmore house was empty.

"Rory?"

"Yeah, Steve." Rory said, glancing over at him lazily. He sat on the next lounge chair in blue Hawaiian print board shorts. The pool glinted in the sunshine and Rory could feel her tan getting darker and darker, leaving distinct tan lines on the skin around her modest blue bikini, despite the loads of sunscreen she applied every hour .

"Rory, I want to talk." He said.

She turned on her elbow and flipped her glasses up on her head. He looked kind of serious. "About what?"

"Rory, do you want kids?" He asked suddenly.

Rory smothered a laugh at the randomness, and answered, "Yeah, I do."

"How many?"

"I'm not sure...I think at least three, though. I do have a four kid sister to keep up with." Rory said with a pretty smile.

He smiled back, looking relieved. "Good, me too. I always wanted a big family and I think we are in a good position. We aren't too old, but old enough that we both have steady jobs. Ror...what do you think of having a kid soon?" He asked, waiting for her answer.

Rory hesitated and looked deep in thought. "I don't know..." She continued to think for a long time. "You know what? I think I'd like that. But let's just see how it goes, Steven."

Steven broke into a grin in one fluid motion stood and lifted her in the air. He drew close to the edge of the pool and for the second time, they both toppled into the water. They came up sputtering and laughing at the crazy events.

"How many, really Steven, do you want?" Rory asked, brushing her hair and water out of her face.

Steven, now, looked deep in thought. "A lot. Honestly, I could handle 8. I could enjoy 8." He said.

Rory laughed out loud. "Eight may be a bit much, but 5 or 6 wouldn't be bad."

"5 or 6. That's good." Steven said.

"Haha, but Steve we aren't super young. How are we going to have so many kids?"

"I guess we'd better get started." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and pulled her close. She giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. "But seriously, Ror, let's just let it happen the way it goes. I'll be happy, whatever happens, because I'll have you. And I love you."

"I love you too, babe."

Feed the starving authorrrrrr…..reviewwww!


	10. Chapter 10

The year is 2023, 10 years later

A very pregnant 38 year old Rory sat on the sofa in her living room. The house she and Steven had bought after having a few kids was on the outskirts of Stars Hollow and had a big yard for the 4 children they already had and for the one on the way.

"Mama, I'm hungry." A little girl's voice called from the doorway to the backyard. Having fallen into the mother mold very easily, Rory could easily tell apart the voices of her three daughters and didn't even need to turn around.

"Ok, Leah. Get your sister and brother and we'll head to Pop-Pop's." Rory pushed herself off the sofa and clunked heavily up the stairs to the nursery. She pushed open the door and was content to stare for several seconds at the beautiful child asleep in the crib.

Same as their father and mother, all of her children had dark hair. Much to Rory's delight, though, they had inherited mostly Steven's hair genes so each child had very dark almost black, thick, curly hair. They alternated between sky blue eyes and emerald green, only adding to their beauty, and each had the same huge white smile.

Rory approached the crib and lifted the two year old girl, shaking her from her slumber.

"Mama?"

"Yes, Hannah." Rory said, carrying her to the changing table.

"Love Mama. Love Danny, Lauwa, an' Leah!" She cried triumphantly in a baby voice.

"Aren't you forgetting some people?" Rory asked as she pulled off the dirty diaper.

Hannah looked deep in thought and then, as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, she brightened and a toothy grin appeared on her face. "Love Baby and Gwanma and Gwanpa and DADDY!"

"Yes. That's my big girl!" Rory praised the young child.

"Mom, we're ready." Danny called from the door.

"Do you have your coats on?"

"Yes."

Rory pulled Hannah's pants up and turned to the door. Her oldest children, 9 year old twins Danny and Laura stood in the doorway behind their younger sister, 6 year old Leah.

"Great, Danny. Thanks for the help."

"You're welcome, Mom." He said, smiling brightly.

Rory pulled out her stroller and settled Hannah into it with Laura in charge of steering. Danny was in charge of keeping Leah, out of the street. Rory strolled behind them, keeping a hawk eye on the kids.

"Hi, Pop-Pop!" Laura called, running into the diner. Danny and Leah followed her and Rory unhooked her squirming youngest from the stroller.

"Hey hon." Lorelai said when she entered the diner with the folded up stroller.

"Hi Mom." Rory said, collapsing at the counter. The kids were behind the counter with Luke and he was showing them how to flip burgers. "Hannah, stay away from the stove. It's hot."

"Rory, you need to relax. They're fine, Luke's watching them." Lorelai said, patting her arm.

"I know." Rory said, taking a sip of water that Caesar had put in front of her.

"Any news about the little one to come?" Lorelai asked.

"I went to the doctor yesterday and he said everything was right on schedule, the baby should be here really soon, which means he or she could be born on our tenth anniversary." Rory said.

"Wow, that's cool."

"Yeah, I know."

"Have you and Steven talked about whether there will be any more?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, when we first got married we both said we wanted large families, like 6 kids."

"SIX! Rory, you're gonna explode!" Lorelai said.

"I know. But I mean, we are on five now." Rory said.

"Oh come on, Laura and Danny are a package deal." Lorelai said.

"You didn't deliver them." Rory said dryly. "But I am thinking that if this one is a boy, we should stop here."

"Oh so you want to end with a boy." Lorelai commented.

"Yeah. I mean a boy to start 'cause Danny is 3 minutes older than Laur, and then 3 girls and a boy to finish. That would be fine with me."

"What if you don't get a boy?" Lorelai said.

"Well then I won't close discussion on more children." Rory said simplistically.

"I personally would go crazy if I had that many children. I think I would limit myself to one." Kirk piped in.

"Thanks for the input, Kirk." Lorelai said.

"And I would probably name it Kirk, despite gender. Maybe Kirka for a girl. What do you think of Kirka?"

"It's on the top of my list, Kirk." Rory said.

"So what are some names you want to name the baby? I mean besides Kirka." Lorelai said.

This started Rory thinking about a very similar conversation she had with her mother 2 years ago, right before Hannah was born.

FLASHBACK

"So what do you want to name the baby, Rory?" Lorelai asked one night.

"Well, if it's a boy, it will be nameless for a while because Steven and I haven't even discussed it." Rory said.

"Baby Boy Cashen, got it. And for a girl?"

"Well, we decided to use Estelle as the middle name, for his mom or Emily, for Grandma. As for first names, we both like Hannah, Melanie, and Emily."

"Emily?"

"Yes Emily. And that would be nice because we would be naming her after Grandma."

"But her middle name is Emily."

"Well if we named her Emily, her middle name would be Estelle." Rory said, sounding like she was explaining something to a child.

"Don't talk down to me. I'm your mother! I spent hours in labor with you! I nursed you, I fed you, I put you to sleep every night, I--"

"Mom."

"Naming a baby after your grandmother?"

"Ok let's not fight about this because Emily isn't even our first choice."

"What is?"

"Melanie."

"I like that. Mel, Mellie, Mels, Felony Melanie."

"Felony Melanie? Mom."

"What? It rhymes!"

"This is not Alabama, Reese Witherspoon. We will not be calling our kid Felony Melanie unless she earns the name." Rory said.

"Good call."

"We might not even be calling our kid Melanie." Rory said.

"Also a good call."

END FLASHBACK

As it turned out, they named the baby girl Hannah Estelle.

"I'm not too sure. We have a few boys' names, none that I am completely in love with, and nothing for girls."

"Ohhh." Lorelai said with a smirk on her face.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Mom."

"Well all I'm saying is that every other time I've asked you what names you have lined up, you always have some for one gender and none for the other. So far, you've always been right."

"Wait—do you mean that you think I'm having a boy?"

"Completely non-scientifically, yes."

one week later

"Happy Anniversary, babe." Steven rolled over in bed and kissed his wife of 10 years.

"Happy Anniversary." Rory said after the kissing was done. "Can you believe it's been ten years, Steve?"

"10 years with you feels like minutes." He said with a grin.

"How long did it take you to come up with that?"

"I'm offended."

"Don't be."

"I can't believe we have 4 kids already."

"And one on the way."

"And one on the way." They kissed again.

"So," She said, "What's for breakfast?"

"The kids are making it as we speak." Steven said.

"For some reason, this is not my favorite family tradition." She said, rolling out of bed and straightening her pajama pants and shirt.

"I don't understand why. I happen to love watery eggs and half cooked pancakes." He said, opening the bedroom door.

Rory sniffed the air. "Wow, this pregnancy is really messing with my ol' sniffer. I could swear I smell Luke's coffee."

"That's 'because you do." Steven said with a smirk. "The kids enlisted their Pop-Pop's help this year."

"Oh, bless them." Rory said.

The happy couple made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. All 4 of their children were covered from head to toe in various foods.

"Mommy!" Hannah yelled, the first one to spot them. "Daddy!"

All the kids immediately began to move, forming an age order line in front of them. Rory muffled the laughter that was threatening to escape every time she looked at her dirty children.

Danny, on the end, leaned out in front and snapped his fingers as he said "One...two...three."

"Happy Anniversary to you, Happy Anniversary to you, Happy Anniversary Mommy and Daddy, Happy Anniversary to yoooooooooouuuuu!" They sang together.

"Thank you thank you!" Rory said. She bent over to catch Leah and Hannah in hugs.

Soon, breakfast was served and the family sat down to eat, joined by Luke. They began to dig into the meal when Rory laid her fork down on the table and tensed up.

A minute later, Steven noticed that she had stopped eating. "You alright, Ror?"

"Steve...the baby is coming." Rory said calmly.

"Oh my god! Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, positive. I have been having stomach cramps all night but now they are starting to get serious."

Steven jumped from the table and ran to the phone, calling first the obstetrician and then Lorelai.

"Lor, hey it's Steven. The baby is coming. Yeah, right now. I need you to come over and help Luke with the kids. They need baths. Ok great see you in a few." He hung up the phone. "Lorelai will be here in a few minutes and is calling Jinx, Meg, and Jack for us."

"Ok. Calm down, Steve, it'll be hours. We have time." Rory said, rising slowly from her seat. "Luke, can you watch the kids while we get ready to go. Mom is coming over and they'll all need baths, just quick-get the dirt off baths. I'll call Dean and Lindsay and see if you guys can drop the kids off over there."

"Yeah, I got it covered Rory. Go do what you need to do." Luke said, helping her to her feet.

"Thanks." She said, kissing his cheek. Turning to her children, who all looked worried, she said. "Don't worry, loves, everything is just fine. The new baby is going to come very soon, so Daddy and I have to go to the hospital. But Grams will be here soon, and she and Pop-Pop are going to take you to Uncle Dean's."

They all nodded, looking much less worried about their mom. "I love you, darlings, and I'll see you soon. And, you'll have a new little brother or sister."

The kids cheered and hugged their mom and dad. Rory and Steven left the room to go get her bags.

Minutes later Lorelai arrived and shortly after, Rory and Steven were out the door. The Cashen kids flew through the tub, were dropped off at Dean's, and Luke and Lorelai were on their way.

Once they arrived, Lorelai went into Rory's room and returned with the full report. Rory was scheduled to deliver in a few hours. Meg showed up as did Jinx, Tristan, and Jack. Jack's wife Lani had gone to Dean and Lindsay's to help with all the kids. Meg's son Will and her baby girl Grace were at home with her husband Mike, Jinx and Tristan had dropped the Quads off with Lane and Dave and their son Kyle, and Emily, Richard, and Christopher were all sitting by the phone at the Gilmore Mansion. Lorelai, Luke, Jinx, Meg, and Jack settled in to wait.

They all rose as Steven entered the room, pulling off his mask.

"It's a boy." He said. Lorelai clapped her hands and Luke whistled. Jack pulled out his phone to call the Gilmores. "You all can go down the hall and see him through the glass and then you can go see Rory for a few minutes."

"Does he have a name?"

"Rory and I have thought about it, but we don't have any that we really like. We promise to name him by the time we leave the hospital." Steven said. Jinx laughed.

"Let's go see him."

They piled around the glass and looked at the little blue blanket. Lorelai cooed over her grandson, a little baby boy with a thick head of dark hair, and then led the way to Rory's room.

"Mom!" Rory called.

"Hey hon!" Lorelai cried, hugging her hard.

"Isn't he gorgeous?" Rory asked.

"Gorgeous, Rory." Jack said.

"Any ideas for names?" Luke asked.

"I have one, but it's a secret until I talk to Steven." Rory said.

"Uh! Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, you are keeping secrets from your mother!"

"Yes, yes I am." Rory said with a grin.

"Name time, name time!" Lorelai chirped as Jinx, Tristan, Meg, Jack, and Luke slid into the room. Christopher joined them after they had made the call to the Gilmore Mansion. Steven stepped over to the bed with the baby in his arms and handed him to Rory.

"Rory had a great idea for a name, and I agreed with it."

"We decided to name our son for everything I am; Hayden Gilmore Danes Cashen." Rory said with a grin.

"Hayden...I like it, Rory." Lorelai said.

"So do I." Christopher said stepping forward and hugging Rory and Hayden.

"Well, Dad, I wasn't a Hayden but I decided to pass on the name." Rory said.

"I like it too, kid." Luke said, hugging the pair.

"I thought you would." Rory smiled.

"Welcome to the family, Hayden." Tristan called.

"Rory?" Steven asked as he finished changing 3 month old Hayden's diaper. Rory was across the nursery getting Hannah ready for bed.

"Yeah."

"What happened to your book?" He asked, pulling a onesie onto the baby and putting him in his crib.

"What?" She asked, rocking a lethargic Hannah to sleep in her arms.

"The book you were writing, about growing up in your house. You were gung ho before we got married, and then Danny and Laura came and that's the last I heard of it." He said. "That was 9 years ago."

"It's not easy raising 5 children, Steven." Rory said testily, although she put Hannah gently in her crib.

"You think I don't know that? I am just wondering." He said, pulling the door closed behind them.

"Well, I've written on and off over the years, but not with the passion that I used to. I don't know...I just haven't had much time; with 5 kids, it's definitely on the back burner." She said, leading the way down the hall to Danny's room.

"Bed time!" Rory said, entering the room and successfully ending the conversation.

"Hey Mom, can you help me with my math homework for a little while?" Danny asked, seated at his desk.

"Sure, sweets." Rory turned to Steven. "Could you go get Laura and Leah in bed?"

"Sure." He said, leaving the room and continuing down the hall to the room Laura and Leah shared.

"Hey, babes, time for bed." He said. The oldest girls were sitting on the same bed in their pajamas.

"Oh Daddy do we hafta?" Leah whined.

"Yes." He said. Suddenly, he swooped down on the girls and lifted Leah off the bed. He danced around the room with her in his arms and both girls giggled uncontrollably. He dropped her on her bed, careful to avoid injury, and pretended to heave deep breaths. Laura and Leah were both giggling and he turned to his oldest daughter. "Oh so you think this is funny?"

Still laughing insanely, she shook her head in protest as he began tickling her, making her laugh harder. Finally Steven stopped and dropped to the floor between their beds, one elbow on each bed.

"Daddy, we love you." Laura said.

"Yeah, you're a fun daddy."

"Well, that's cause I have the best little girls in the world." Steven said, as they wrapped their arms around his neck. Steven read a story and successfully got them to sleep.

Rory and Steven met up in the hallway. She was coming out of Danny's room when he was leaving Laura and Leah's. Rory stepped into a hug and dropped her head against his chest. He draped his arms around her and they swayed slightly.

"How much longer 'til they go to college?" Rory mumbled.

"18 years." Steven said.

"Wow." Rory said.

"Oh, they aren't that bad." Steven said. "I even like them some of the time."

Rory laughed and hit his arm. "Don't joke about that Steve! We love our kids."

"Yes we do." He said, kissing her forehead. "So are you going to tell me what happened to the book?"

"Nothing happened, really. I just didn't have time anymore to work on it and I didn't want to do a half-baked job."

"Half-baked?"

"Steven, I've always talked about my childhood and how much my mom means to me."

"Yes you have."

"Well I don't want to do an injustice to her by not giving this book my all. When the kids are older and I have more time, I'll pick it up again. For now, though, I have 5 kids to raise."

"But you'll finish it, right? I will see the book again?" Steven said, grasping her elbows and looking into her eyes.

"I'll finish it. I promise, someday, I'll finish it." Rory said with a smile.

Reviewsssssss pleaaaasssseeeee


	11. Chapter 11

**The final installment of 'The New Guy'**

December 13, 2040

26 year old Laura Cashen ran out of a large brick building in the heart of Hartford and dashed to a waiting car. Her dark curly hair flew out behind her.

"Did you get it?" Her twin brother, Danny, asked eagerly as she slid in the passenger seat.

"Yeah, I got 11. Fresh off the press." Laura said, holding up a stack of books. She held one up and showed him the cover, which was a picture of Lorelai, Luke, Rory, Jinx, Meg, and Jack taken candidly at Rory's wedding. Rory rested on Luke's lap in her fancy gown, and Lorelai, Jinx, Jack, and Meg were seated next to them. They were all laughing. It was truly a Kodak moment. Written above in curly writing, was "Growing up 'Lorelai' by Rory Cashen".

Danny's blue eyes lit up and he threw his head back and laughed. His dark curls shook as he eagerly picked up a book and began to flip through it.

"This is perfect!" Laura murmured, her green eyes shining like emeralds as she looked at the pages. "Mom's gonna flip!"

"We're outta here!"

Meanwhile...

"Steven, have you seen my manuscript? I wanted to send it off to some publishers today." Rory said, walking into Steven's home office.

"No. I know Hayden was looking through it, did you ask him?" Steven asked.

"No, not yet." Rory left the room and climbed the stairs to her youngest child's room. "Hey there, birthday boy, did you take my manuscript?" Rory asked.

Hayden looked up from the book he was reading and shook his dark head. "Nope. I haven't seen it since like 2 months ago. You said it was finished, so I decided to have another look." He brushed a curl off his face and his eyebrows drew close. "You don't have it?"

"No." Rory said, shaking her head. "I'll find it though. It's around here somewhere, Hayd."

Suddenly, Rory heard a loud commotion downstairs. She glanced questioningly at Hayden and then hurried down the hall, followed by her tall son.

Steven had met Laura in the foyer and Danny, Leah, and Hannah crowded in the door behind her. Laura held a stack of books, and each other person held one.

"What's going on?" Rory questioned when she reached the bottom of the steps.

Laura turned excitedly and green met blue. Rory felt electricity shoot up her spine and she knew her daughter had exciting news.

"You did it, Mom." Laura said, holding up one of the books. As Rory looked closely, she recognized all the faces in the picture and as her eyes traveled upward, she recognized the title and name of the author.

"Growing up Lorelai, by Rory Cashen..." Rory's voice trailed off. "Oh my...is this...is this my book?" Rory felt her knees getting rubbery as she flipped open the book.

_Prologue _

_Lorelai Gilmore. To you, she's probably no one, just another name in the phone book. If you live in the Connecticut area, one day you may read about how she opened her own inn or how she won the coffee drinking contest at the Stars Hollow Winter Carnival or eventually, her obituary. To you, Lorelai Gilmore is just another woman in the world. To me, she is so much more than that. She's my best friend, my pal, my buddy, my companion, mi amiga, my confidante, the woman who had a baby at 16 and raised that baby in her image, the woman who hiked across Europe with me and stayed up all night studying with me when I was 16. She let me cry on her shoulder whenever I needed to and she gave me advice on my first boyfriend. She's the person I went to whenever I needed a good dose of fashion or the perfect shoes to match my new dress because she had 64 pairs. She's the woman who constantly stayed up with me watching Willy Wonka and eating crazy amounts of chocolate. And most importantly, she is the woman I shaped my life, my existence, around, the incredible woman with whom I share my name and so much more, my mom. _

_Chapter 1 _

_It appeared to be a normal day for the eccentric residents of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. The town was starting to wake up and businesses were beginning to open. Young and old lazily walked down the sidewalk and someone passing through would label Stars Hollow as 'quaint' yet 'boring'. That is until this person saw the bubbly brunettes walking down the sidewalk towards the corner building, which appeared to be a diner, but was labeled 'William's Hardware'.  
_  
Rory continued to flip through, seeing her book exactly as she had planned it. That is, until she came to the back off the book.

_Growing up Rory _

_"Growing up Lorelai" was written by Rory Cashen, with excerpts by her sisters, Jinx Dugray and Meghan Ocean, and her brother, Jack Danes. The book is a tribute to her mother, Lorelai Danes, and the awesome job she did in raising her four children. Now, Rory's children, family, and friends are taking the opportunity to tell her readers how great a mom and person she is. _

_Lorelai Leigh Gilmore Cashen. More commonly known as Rory, she spent the first year of her life in Hartford, Connecticut, with her mom, Lorelai, and grandparents, Richard and Emily. When Lorelai flew the coop, taking young Rory with her, their lives started in the quaint Connecticut town of Stars Hollow.  
_  
Rory continued to read the tribute from her children and friends. She reached a page full of quotes.

_"Rory worked her ass off at Chilton." Luke Danes, Rory's step-father and owner of the local diner comments. "It showed. She was valedictorian and Harvard, Princeton, and Yale were fighting for her. She graduated from Yale with honors and a degree in journalism, and went back for her masters. She did all this while staying fun, energetic, and sane. How many people can you say that about?" _

_"Rory's been an angel all of her life. She didn't cry, she didn't whine, she didn't get dirty. Like her mother, she read, she laughed, she talked, she drank coffee---basically, it was what we thought a young Lorelai would be like-well minus the no crying and whining part." Sookie St. James, Lorelai's best friend says of Rory. _

_"Rory's always been an awesome friend. We've been best friends since kindergarten, we stayed friends while she went to Chilton and Yale and New York and after I got married and after she got married and after I had kids and after she had kids. Over 50 years, Rory and I have basically done it all." Says Lane Rygalski, Rory's best friend. _

_"She could dance. Boy could that girl dance." Miss Patty LaCosta, may she rest in peace, often said of Rory's childhood dance lessons.  
_  
Rory scanned the pages filled with more quotes and information. She looked up at Laura, the image of herself, and said in shock with tears clouding her blue eyes, "You did this?"

"Well, I had a lot of help, but I am the only other journalist in this house." Laura said with a smile. "Everyone was in on it except Grams. It's a surprise for both of you."

"Laura, this is the best gift I could ever be given. Thank you, hon." Rory said, wrapping her arms around Laura.

"You deserve it, Mom." Laura said.

Rory pulled back. "Thanks, guys. This is spectacular." Rory said to her children. They all hugged her.

"Let's go show Grams!" Hannah called.

"Yeah!" Danny said excitedly. "Mom? You really should do the honors."

"Sure. Let's go show Lorelai." Rory said with a smile. The Cashen kids hurried out the door and Rory and Steven, arms around each other, followed.

"I can't believe them, Steven. Our kids never cease to amaze me." Rory said, walking down the street towards the diner.

"They put a lot of thought and work into this, Ror. Ever since you finished working on the book, they have been running to publishers with it. It didn't take long to find one who wanted the book." Steven said.

"Saved me a lot of trouble." Rory said with a laugh. The couple lapsed into silence.

"We're lucky, Steven. Very lucky. It's not often a couple has five children and all of them turn out normal."

"No drugs, no...well no excessive alcohol." Steven laughed, remembering the time Danny got drunk at a party when he was 17 and Laura had to sneak him in the back door. "Good friends, good grades, good sibling relations. It's all good."

"It's all good." Rory sighed happily.

"Mom! Come on! Grams is here!" Leah was waving at them from down the street at the diner.

"Well, let's go." Rory said with a grin.

"Happy book publishing, babe." Steven said, stopping her and turning her to face him.

"Thanks, Steven. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Sure you could have."

"Well it wouldn't have been as fun." Rory said playfully.

"That's for sure." He grinned.

"Happy 27th Anniversary, Steve. I love you."

THE ENDDDDD

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINKKKKK!


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